- 26
Insigne d'autorité, Île de Paques
Estimate
50,000 - 70,000 EUR
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Description
- Insigne d'autorité
- haut. 129 cm
- 50 7/8 in
Provenance
Collection Charles Ratton, Paris
Philippe Ratton, Paris
Collection privée
Philippe Ratton, Paris
Collection privée
Condition
Please refer to the department, + 33 1 53 05 52 67, alexis.maggiar@sothebys.com
"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."
Catalogue Note
Insignes de prestige et d'autorité, les bâtons ua étaient réservés à l'aristocratie rapanui et précieusement conservés dans les maisons, préservés dans un étui en roseau. Leur fonction ostentatoire a été décrite par les premiers observateurs européens, tels que Felipe Gonzales en 1770 et La Pérouse en 1786. Le premier à entrer dans une collection européenne fut celui collecté par Cook lors de son deuxième voyage, en mars 1774 (cf. Hooper, 2008, p. 147, n° 96).
Essentiellement conservés dans des musées, les - rares - bâtons ua se singularisent par leur immuable tête Janus, aux visages identiques, qui en ponctuent l'extrémité supérieure. Accentuée par les sillons rayonnants de la coiffure, la prégnance du visage féminin naît de la force des traits serrés, profondément sculptés, et de l'intensité du regard d'obsidienne.
A l'instar des armes anthropomorphes de Polynésie, le bâton ua peut être considéré comme la matérialisation d'ancêtres veillant sur leurs descendants. Ici, l'entité féminine, avec la distension du lobe de l'oreille "révélant son grand âge [peut être associé à] Hina kauhara, la première femme née de Tiki, le premier homme, et qui devint ensuite son épouse [...] Dans cette hypothèse, toutes les familles auraient la même aïeule, car le visage est identique sur tous les ua" (Orliac et Orliac, 2008, p. 156-157).
Si la plupart des ua répertoriés mesurent entre 1,40 et 1,60 mètre, les plus petits, tel que celui collecté par Cook en 1774 (109 cm) - et celui-ci - sont considérés comme les plus anciens. S'ajoutent ici la profondeur de la patine et les traces d'impacts, telles qu'elles apparaissent également sur l'exemplaire Oldman (n° 536).
Easter Island staff of authority
As signs of prestige and authority, ua staffs were the preserve of the rapanui aristocracy. They were carefully stored in homes and preserved in reed cases, and their ostentatious function was described by the first European observers, such as Felipe Gonzales in 1770 and La Perouse in 1786. The first example to enter a European collection was collected by Cook on his second voyage, in March 1774 (cf. Hooper, 2008, p. 147, no. 96).
Ua staffs are rare and most examples are in museums. They are distinguished by their immutable Janus head, with two identical faces on their upper end. The powerful female face is distinguished by the taut deeply carved features, the intense stare of the obsidian eyes, and the radiating grooves of the coiffure.
Like Polynesian anthropomorphic weapons, ua staffs can be seen as the material presence of ancestors who were ever watchful over their descendants. Here, the female entity, whose distended earlobes "reveal its age, [can be associated with] Hina kauhara, the first woman born of Tiki, the first man, and who later became his wife [...] In this case, all families can be said to have the same ancestor, as the face is identical on all ua" (Orliac and Orliac, 2008, p. 156-157).
Although most of the recorded ua range in size from 140 to 160 cm, the smallest, such as the offered lot and the example collected by Cook in 1774 (109 cm), are considered to be the most ancient. The deep patina and old dents visible on the surface of the offered lot are comparable to the Oldman example (no. 536).
Essentiellement conservés dans des musées, les - rares - bâtons ua se singularisent par leur immuable tête Janus, aux visages identiques, qui en ponctuent l'extrémité supérieure. Accentuée par les sillons rayonnants de la coiffure, la prégnance du visage féminin naît de la force des traits serrés, profondément sculptés, et de l'intensité du regard d'obsidienne.
A l'instar des armes anthropomorphes de Polynésie, le bâton ua peut être considéré comme la matérialisation d'ancêtres veillant sur leurs descendants. Ici, l'entité féminine, avec la distension du lobe de l'oreille "révélant son grand âge [peut être associé à] Hina kauhara, la première femme née de Tiki, le premier homme, et qui devint ensuite son épouse [...] Dans cette hypothèse, toutes les familles auraient la même aïeule, car le visage est identique sur tous les ua" (Orliac et Orliac, 2008, p. 156-157).
Si la plupart des ua répertoriés mesurent entre 1,40 et 1,60 mètre, les plus petits, tel que celui collecté par Cook en 1774 (109 cm) - et celui-ci - sont considérés comme les plus anciens. S'ajoutent ici la profondeur de la patine et les traces d'impacts, telles qu'elles apparaissent également sur l'exemplaire Oldman (n° 536).
Easter Island staff of authority
As signs of prestige and authority, ua staffs were the preserve of the rapanui aristocracy. They were carefully stored in homes and preserved in reed cases, and their ostentatious function was described by the first European observers, such as Felipe Gonzales in 1770 and La Perouse in 1786. The first example to enter a European collection was collected by Cook on his second voyage, in March 1774 (cf. Hooper, 2008, p. 147, no. 96).
Ua staffs are rare and most examples are in museums. They are distinguished by their immutable Janus head, with two identical faces on their upper end. The powerful female face is distinguished by the taut deeply carved features, the intense stare of the obsidian eyes, and the radiating grooves of the coiffure.
Like Polynesian anthropomorphic weapons, ua staffs can be seen as the material presence of ancestors who were ever watchful over their descendants. Here, the female entity, whose distended earlobes "reveal its age, [can be associated with] Hina kauhara, the first woman born of Tiki, the first man, and who later became his wife [...] In this case, all families can be said to have the same ancestor, as the face is identical on all ua" (Orliac and Orliac, 2008, p. 156-157).
Although most of the recorded ua range in size from 140 to 160 cm, the smallest, such as the offered lot and the example collected by Cook in 1774 (109 cm), are considered to be the most ancient. The deep patina and old dents visible on the surface of the offered lot are comparable to the Oldman example (no. 536).