Taiaha. Finely carved head offering an elaborate forehead with…
click the photo to enlarge
Taiaha. Finely carved head offering an elaborate forehead with recessed paua eyes with incised lines. Strongly carved nose with upper lip offering dog tooth notching. Tongue is beautifully executed, the large strike blade finely tapers out to a rounded end. Rich brown patina. Length 169.5 cm. Width 6 cm

You must be a subscriber, and be logged in to view price and dealer details.

Subscribe Now to view actual auction price for this item

When you subscribe, you have the option of setting the currency in which to display prices to $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

This item has been sold, and the description, image and price are for reference purposes only.
  • Patination / Patina - In broad terms, patination refers to the exterior surface appearance of the timber, the effect of fading caused by exposure to sunlight and air over the course of a century or more, changing the piece to a soft, mellow colour.

    As patina is very difficult to replicate, it is one of the most important guides to determining the age of furniture.

    Patina is also the term applied to the bloom or film found on old bronzes due to oxidisation.
  • Incised - A record of a name, date or inscription, or a decoration scratched into a surface, usually of a glass or ceramic item with a blunt instrument to make a coarse indentation. Compare with engraving where the surface is cut with a sharp instrument such as a metal needle or rotating tool to achieve a fine indentation.

This item has been included into following indexes:

Visually similar items

A Maori club (taiaha), New Zealand (nineteenth century), carved hardwood and paua shell, 147.2 cm long. Provenance: Private Collection, United Kingdom. Private Collection, Melbourne

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

Chiefly taiaha This piece offers significant size and presence. The arero (tongue) is elaborately decorated with fine and highly skilled triple h'h' and pakati carving. Abstracted teeth forms accentuate the mouth. Large serrated paua-shell eyes in oval for

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

Taiaha traditional form with flattened tapering body leading to a raised head with pataki and heihei decoration and diamond shaped paua inset eyes, rich dark brown patina, length 151 cm

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.

Taiaha 19th century or earlier, spiral and notch decorated tongue, plain head and blade, length 145 cm. Provenance: Neil Darroch collection

Sold by in for
You can display prices in $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.