Beschreibung:

EASTER ISLAND (RAPA NUI) CARVED HARDWOOD EFFIGY MAOI FIGURE 22 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 4 3/4 in. Note: Arthur Beau Palmer, Queensland, Australia: "Moai Kavakava are male carvings. These grotesque and highly detailed human figures carved from Toromiro pine, represents ancestors. These were occasionally used for fertility rites or harvest celebrations. The first picking of fruits was heaped around them as offerings. When the statues were not used, they would be wrapped in bark cloth and kept at home. The earlier figures are rare and generally depict a male figure with an emaciated body and goatee. The figures' ribs and vertebrae are exposed and many examples show carved glyphs on various parts of the body, but more specifically, on top of the head. The female figures, rarer than the males, depict the body as flat and often with the hand lying across the body. The figures, although quite large, were worn as ornamental pieces around a tribesman's neck. The more figures worn, the more important the man. The figures have a shiny patina developed from constant handling and contact with human skin. The name mo'ai kavakava is formed from mo'ai for the monumental monolithic human figures found on Easter Island and the word kavakava meaning ribs. Little is known about the cultural contex of these figures although they are generally considered to be representations of starving ancestors or demons." Estate of Joseph T. Butler, Tarrytown, NY