MAORI CURIOS.

Waikato Times, Volume 111, Issue 18623, 29 April 1932, Page 9

MAORI CURIOS.

A SALE IN LONDON. PORTRAITS OF CHIEFS. I.OMDOM, March 17. (From a Correspondent). Mext, Monday there are to be sold at Messrs Sotheby and Company’s auction room a number of Maori curious and a group of portraits which como under the heading, “ The Property of a Gentleman.” Tho collection would be far more interesting if there were any information as to their original owner and Ihe date of their being taken out of Mew Zealand. The auctioneers, however, are not permitted to reveal the name of the present owner and they know nothing of (lie history of the articles. line fact, however, is interesting—they conic from the Continent. Possibly, experts in Mew Zealand will bo able to give tho circumstances in which Ihe group of portraits were painted. Only one of them has any reai value as a painting, and that Is “ King Tawhio,” by G. \V. Baker. It is a very line oil painting showing Iho bu-d of tin l old warrior full-face, with tattooed features and wearing a feather poncho. The portrait appears to be. the original of prints that have been reproduced in a number of books. Another one is of To Hen lieu, of Tokaanu, by Hugh Uoseawen, painted in |SS7. This is a water-colour drawing, full length, .of the chief at the

age of 105. He holds a greenstone mere and wears a full cloak. In the white hair are a group of hula feathers. J. Veifch is given as the artist of four of the oil paintings, which were done in 1840-41. “ Epunl-’’ Is the name of a chief In war dress holding a ceremonial staff In his right hand. There is a background of forest and lake, with a canoe on the latter. “Hiko” is a bust portrait of “ the famous chief of Cook Straits.” “ Warcporl,” is a full-length portrait with mountain and lake background. Warepori, in conjunction with Epuni, it Is explained in tho catalogue, sold the site of Wellington to the Mew Zealand Land Company In 1837. All these four portraits are rather sketchily executed, but no doubt they give a fair idea of the appearance of tho chiefs of those early days. One other framed water colour drawing is by Hugh Boscaweu and shows the chief Ho Takaki. Several of the curios are undoubtedly of some value and genuine antiques. There is one hula feather box, for instance, which has been carved with the primitive Maori 'instruments, but someone, In later days, has affixed brass-hinges and a lock. Another genuine antique is an axe with a long thin greenstone blade hafted on to a wood handle. The blade, is 7iin. long and tho handle IC-iin. I! is stated that this is from Orepuki. There are two tikis, one 7iin. long. The experts who buy will proclaim their value. A walking slick most elaborately carved, with figures that havo five fingers instead of the mystic three, is thus described in the catalogue: " An exceptionally fine chief’s ceremonial walking stick (tokotoko), carved in high relief with' 1 dentate ornament,

and tiers of warriors dos-a-dos In toteinio style, the handle In the form of an ancestral figure, with right-angular alligator-headed mask, rare, and in unusually fine state.” It is certainly very' elaborate, but it must be left to experts to say whether there arc not European influences in the design.