MAORI CURIOS

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 19, 22 January 1921, Page 9

MAORI CURIOS

AUCTION SALE IN LONDON.

(PROM OCR OWN CORR3SPONDZHT.)

LONDON, 22nd December.

A collection of Maori curios has just been disposed of at the auction rooms of Mr. J. p. ; Stevens. Most of the articles wore secured by one antique dealer, -who now has them displayed in his shop near Leicester-square, On the whole, the prices paid were, moderate. A wooden featherbox and cover, 16iin long-,, boat-shaped, with conventional spiral carving and tiki terminals, sold for the price of £17. It is generally recognised that the price! for such boxes' is calculated, at £2 an inch, and a similar article woul dhave sold be.fore the war for about 1 £32, so that the purchaser seems to have made a very good bargain. • ;

■ The prow of a Maori war-canoe,' elaborately pierced and carved, the figurehead representing a crouching tiki, made "£l4, and a model canoe, 1 36 in long, witlv geometric and grotesque designs, termina-: ting- mi a tiki head at the prow, sold for £5. lii view of the fact that these model canoes, which were iormerly made for the conveyance) of the soul of tho dead to the Spirit Land, arc now extremely rare, this price seems Surprisingly moderate. , « Other articles disposed of were, the prow of a model boat, pierced and carved to represent an animal, a grotesque face' at back, and pawa discs, length Bin, £6 6s; paddle, with figures of two deities wi^h shell eyes carved in.high relief on blade, remainder decorated with conventional design, length 63in, £7 10s; wooden water scoop, richly carved in conventional spiral pattern, end of the handle.. pierced and ornamented with a grotesque figilre in full relief, eyes of pa.v?a shell, length 15jin, £16; similar 'shaped mere, ornately en£l6; similar shaped mere, ornately carved with 'spiral, and- plaited designs, and tho handle surmounted with a squatting grotesque, length 15in, and another similar mere carved with, a diamond pattqrn and ornamented with four grotesque figuresand five shell discs,' togethr er, £14 14s; wooden mere (Kotiate), kklnoyshaped, finely carved, ISm long, 7in wide, £7 17s 6d; three, weapon*, comprising a paddle-shaped Hani, 60in long, a slender notched and carved staff, 70in long, aijd an adze with -black jade head bound to a wooden handle, length 19|in, £3; sacred funerary wand of dark wood, very finely carved and inlaid with ten shell plaques, length 40in, £2; dval-shaped drinking cup, carved out of 'wood, with two handles representing grotesque heads with- inlaid" eyes, £3 15s; walking stick with I carved stem and plain handle, terminating in grotesque . heads, length 33in, £1;, powder horn, finely engraved, with three scenes depicting^a Maori chieftuin, his wife, .and his warriors, length about 15in, £8; Hani, in highly polished mahogany, with head" richly curved and inlaid with pawa shell, length 57in, £3 3s, and finally a. staff „! itffiwj, uw-vwJ to.P,»" rf ty'lom. mid turmounted by a tiki, length 46m, £2,