Maori Treasure Box, New Zealand

Private Collection
Christie's, London, June 17, 1980, lot 213, consigned by the above
Pierre Bovis, San Diego, reportedly acquired from Robert Duperrier, Paris
Kevin Conru, Brussels, acquired from the above
Abraham Rosman and Paula Rubel, New York, acquired from the above on October 17, 2001

Charles W. Mack, Polynesian Art at Auction, 1965-1980, Northboro, 1982, p. 147, pl. 59, no. 3

The term waka huia, or treasure box, refers to the oval, canoe-shaped receptacles such as this one which Maori used to hold treasured feathers (specifically huia, feathers from an extinct New Zealand bird called Heteralocha acutirostris) and items of personal adornment owned by high-ranking members of society, including hei tiki (see lot 32). Ornaments and their containers took on mana (prestige, or spiritual power) and the tapu (sacred) power of their owners with each use. When not in use, these ornaments were placed in the box and hung from the ceiling of a whare (house or dwelling) for safekeeping.

Because these boxes were created with the intention of being viewed from below, they have been ornately decorated on the undersides. The bottom of this waka huia is decorated with two intricately designed figures that gaze down at the viewer with their iridescent shell eyes. The central portion of the underside bears a complex geometric pattern of alternating vertical, horizontal, and curvilinear motifs. Four additional figures, likely depicting ancestors, appear on the lid of the box, one couple on each end. The couples merge into each other with arched bodies and sinuous curves, bearing wheku faces: tongues out and eyes wide. This treasure box still shows remnants of kokowai, the red ochre pigment that was regularly reapplied to the surface during use.