- 38
TÊTE, MAORI, NOUVELLE-ZÉLANDE |
估價
70,000 - 100,000 EUR
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招標截止
描述
- haut. 23 cm ; 9 in
來源
Collection Kenneth Athol Webster (1906-1967), Londres / Wellington, ca. 1950 (inv. n° Webster Coll1010)
Wayne Heathcote, Londres
Collection privée américaine, acquis en 1993
Sotheby's, Paris, 21 juin 2017, n° 14
Collection privée, Paris
Wayne Heathcote, Londres
Collection privée américaine, acquis en 1993
Sotheby's, Paris, 21 juin 2017, n° 14
Collection privée, Paris
展覽
Cannes, Palais Miramar, Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie, 6 juillet - 29 septembre 1957
出版
Kamer et Kamer, Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie, 1957, p. 39 et 88, n° 420
Condition
Excellent condition overall. Very good conservation of the haliotis eyes and teeth. Some thin cracks on the top of the head. At the back there is a modern suspension metal clip and a white inventory number. Beautiful dark brown patina.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
拍品資料及來源
Figure emblématique dans le milieu des collectionneurs, Kenneth Athol Webster fait partie, au même titre que William Ockelford Oldman et James Thomas Hooper, des grands noms anglo-saxons de la découverte et de la reconnaissance des arts océaniens. Lorsque Hélène et Henri Kamer décidèrent, en 1957, d’organiser une Exposition des Arts d’Afrique et d’Océanie (Cannes, Palais Miramar), ils sollicitèrent ainsi Webster pour le prêt de la majorité des œuvres destinées à y représenter l’art Maori. Parmi ces pièces choisies pour « leurs caractères plastiques et leur importance dans le domaine de la création artistique » (Kamer et Kamer, Arts d’Afrique et d’Océanie, 1957, p. 11) s’impose cette tête ancestrale. Primordiale dans la culture Maori, la tête était considérée comme la partie la plus sacrée du corps, siège du savoir et de la puissance. Omniprésente dans les décors sculptés, démesurée sur les sculptures de tiki, elle trouve son apogée dans les têtes autonomes sculptées en bois. Par l’exceptionnel traitement du visage, entièrement envahi de tatouages curvilignes - asymétriques sur le front - et les très belles incrustations d’haliotis marquant les yeux et les dents d’un bleu brillant, cette œuvre est l’une des plus abouties du corpus.
Véritable marqueur identitaire, « représentation visuelle du whakapapa (généalogie) d’un individu et de la place qu’il y occupe » (Smith, Maori. Leurs trésors ont une âme, 2012, p. 86), le tatouage moko est d’une qualité remarquable. Seuls les plus hauts dignitaires et les grands guerriers avaient le privilège de porter un moko facial complet. Profondément gravé, il souligne ici la puissance et la dignité de l’ancêtre, identifiable par toute la communauté. Au sein du corpus rarissime des têtes sculptées, celle-ci personnifie, par l’ensemble de ses qualités plastiques et esthétiques, l’essence même de l’art Maori.
Etroitement apparentée à la tête de la collection de Ménil (La rime et la raison: Les collections Ménil (Houston-New York), 1984, n° 316), elle s’affirme comme un majestueux témoignage de l’art sculptural figuratif polynésien.
Kenneth Athol Webster was an emblematic figure in the collectors' community and along with William Ockelford Oldman and James Thomas Hooper is considered one of the great Anglo-Saxon figures in the discovery and recognition of the Pacific Islands. In 1957 when Hélène and Henri Kamer decided to host an exhibition entitled Exposition des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie (Cannes, Palais Miramar), they solicited Webster for the loan of the majority of the pieces intended to represent Maori art. Among these pieces which were chosen for "their aesthetic characteristics and their importance in the field of artistic creation" (Kamer and Kamer, Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie, 1957, p. 11), this ancestor head stands out.
A primordial element in Maori culture, the head was regarded as the most sacred part of the body, a seat of knowledge and power. Ubiquitous in sculpted decors, particularly large in scale in tiki sculptures, this motif reaches its apex in the standalone heads sculpted in wood. The exceptional treatment of the face, completely covered in curvilinear tattoos - asymmetrical on the forehead - and the very beautiful abalone incrustations marking the eyes and teeth in brilliant blue, make this work one of the most accomplished within the corpus.
A true identity marker and "visual representation of the whakapapa (genealogy) of an individual, and of his place in it " (Smith, Maori. Leurs trésors ont une âme, 2012, p. 86), the moko tatoo on this piece is remarkable for its exceptional quality. It was the sole prerogative of the highest dignitaries and great warriors to wear a full facial moko; deeply carved in this piece, it underlines the power and dignity of the ancestor, identifiable by the whole community. Within the exceedingly rare corpus of Maori sculpted heads, this particular piece - with the full gamut of its artistic and aesthetic qualities - represents the very essence of Maori art.
Closely related to the head in the Ménil collection (La rime et la raison: Les collections Ménil (Houston-New York), 1984, No. 316), it stands out as a commanding specimen of figurative Polynesian sculptural art.
Véritable marqueur identitaire, « représentation visuelle du whakapapa (généalogie) d’un individu et de la place qu’il y occupe » (Smith, Maori. Leurs trésors ont une âme, 2012, p. 86), le tatouage moko est d’une qualité remarquable. Seuls les plus hauts dignitaires et les grands guerriers avaient le privilège de porter un moko facial complet. Profondément gravé, il souligne ici la puissance et la dignité de l’ancêtre, identifiable par toute la communauté. Au sein du corpus rarissime des têtes sculptées, celle-ci personnifie, par l’ensemble de ses qualités plastiques et esthétiques, l’essence même de l’art Maori.
Etroitement apparentée à la tête de la collection de Ménil (La rime et la raison: Les collections Ménil (Houston-New York), 1984, n° 316), elle s’affirme comme un majestueux témoignage de l’art sculptural figuratif polynésien.
Kenneth Athol Webster was an emblematic figure in the collectors' community and along with William Ockelford Oldman and James Thomas Hooper is considered one of the great Anglo-Saxon figures in the discovery and recognition of the Pacific Islands. In 1957 when Hélène and Henri Kamer decided to host an exhibition entitled Exposition des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie (Cannes, Palais Miramar), they solicited Webster for the loan of the majority of the pieces intended to represent Maori art. Among these pieces which were chosen for "their aesthetic characteristics and their importance in the field of artistic creation" (Kamer and Kamer, Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie, 1957, p. 11), this ancestor head stands out.
A primordial element in Maori culture, the head was regarded as the most sacred part of the body, a seat of knowledge and power. Ubiquitous in sculpted decors, particularly large in scale in tiki sculptures, this motif reaches its apex in the standalone heads sculpted in wood. The exceptional treatment of the face, completely covered in curvilinear tattoos - asymmetrical on the forehead - and the very beautiful abalone incrustations marking the eyes and teeth in brilliant blue, make this work one of the most accomplished within the corpus.
A true identity marker and "visual representation of the whakapapa (genealogy) of an individual, and of his place in it " (Smith, Maori. Leurs trésors ont une âme, 2012, p. 86), the moko tatoo on this piece is remarkable for its exceptional quality. It was the sole prerogative of the highest dignitaries and great warriors to wear a full facial moko; deeply carved in this piece, it underlines the power and dignity of the ancestor, identifiable by the whole community. Within the exceedingly rare corpus of Maori sculpted heads, this particular piece - with the full gamut of its artistic and aesthetic qualities - represents the very essence of Maori art.
Closely related to the head in the Ménil collection (La rime et la raison: Les collections Ménil (Houston-New York), 1984, No. 316), it stands out as a commanding specimen of figurative Polynesian sculptural art.