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Ethnographic Art & Artefacts — Cordy's

Auction House:Cordy'sNumber of lots recorded:160
Sale Title:Ethnographic Art & ArtefactsLots with images:160
Auction Location:AucklandPrices available:101
Date:8-Apr-2024
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An old wooden beater with cylindrical head, length 33.5 cm.
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Four various woven Tongan fibre baskets, of various sizes.
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An old Tongan kali hahapo headrest, elegantly carved from one piece of hardwood, with concave top bar and tapered bowed convex supports with flared bar form feet, length 38 cm, height 16.3 cm. Shaw family provenance: reputedly inherited through the family from William Shaw a missionary in Tonga. 'A messenger named William Shaw was sent to US from Taufa the chief of pea to inform US that he wished very much that one of US would come and live with him, and that he was a greater chief than the one we were to…
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An old Aboriginal hooked boomerang, with fine concave repeating bands, red ochre rubbed finish. With pronounced wide knee at the hooked end, length 78.5 cm.
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Two old Aboriginal artefacts, a woomera (spear thrower) the grip possibility later reduced, the throwing point lashed and covered with black beeswax?, length 75.5 cm. The blackwood boomerang with later wall fittings to the reverse, length 75 cm.
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Two old Aboriginal boomerangs one with crack. L's.540 and 45.5 cm.
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An old hardwood carved Aboriginal Nula Nula, with incised pitted design. Central Australia, length 47 cm.
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A large collection of over 500 aboriginal stone tools including tula adzes, bifacial points, various blades and scrapers. Housed in 13 trays comprising six trays of lithic material from South Australia, two trays from Western Australia, two trays from New South Wales, one tray from the Northern Territory, one tray from Queensland, one tray from Victoria and one tray from Tasmania. Each tray marked with find location. The collection acquired during several archaeological field trips throughout Australia in…
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A large Fijian carved wooden kava bowl, the rim finely notch carved and with mother of pearl shell disc inserts. A, length of sennit cord attached with three cowrie shells attached, diameter 56.9 cm.
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A small 1960's model Fijian outrigger canoe made of wood and woven fibre, length 26 cm.
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An old large Fijian rootstock long club, traditional cut multi stem head with long shaft showing an age split, the grip carved with fine geometric bands, length 101 cm.
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An old Fijian tokokia long club, with tapered spike issuing from the tapered finely knobbed head, curving at a right angle from the cylindrical shaft, pronounced butt knob the handle end, length 75 cm.
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An old Fijian kiakavo long club, the curved hammer type end with distinct spur, textured carved panel and raised terminal ridge. The plain cylindrical shaft with some cracks of age, length 96 cm.
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An important early 19th century yagona dish from Western Vitilevu Fiji, carved from sacred vesi wood which was used for religious vessels. Pod shaped, shallow bowl and short handle projecting from the base of the bowl, good old patina showing yagona residue, 57 x 14 x 9 cm, 19th century Ba, Fiji. Note: this type of dish was placed on the ground whilst the kneeling priest drank the liquid through a tube or straw to induce a trance. Provenance: this vessel belonged to the old cannibal high chief Ratu Vuniani…
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Melanesian old tall drum geometrically carved and with old skin top, height 69.5 cm.
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Melanesian wood hafted adze with fibre lashed stone blade, length 50.5 cm.
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Melanesian wood hafted adze with fibre lashed stone blade, length 31.5 cm.
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An early 20th century Melanesian mother of pearl backed trolling lure the steel hook with cotton lashing and coarse (pig) hair teaser.
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An old Pacific Island carved hardwood hand club with flat blade and T-form handle, the handle scratch carved and inlaid with the name 'Slamat Pakai', length 40 cm. In metal stand.
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Two mako shark's teeth with red sealing wax, length 3.6 cm (both).
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Four tribal pieces a coconut bowl, small kava bowl, panelled purse, and bone and wood container.
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Three tribal pieces a Fijian hand club, small wooden mere and hand club.
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Two vintage shells a trumpet conch and a Queen helmet conch. Some minor faults, length 21 cm.
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Five Pacific Island woven fibre fans, from Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga.
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Five Pacifica woven kete with labels 'Renell Bellona', New Caledonia etc
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A pair of Samoan carved hardwood kava bowls, each raised on fifteen cylindrical legs, diameter 31 cm.
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A carved primitive tribal fertility stick?, with incised stylised head.
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Framed fine ink sketches on tapa or heavy paper of ethnic animals 19 x 24.5 cm.
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Old tribal wood hinged lidded box with notch and panel carved lid and front. The lid with shaped raised framing bars. Enclosing two birds' nests with eggs, length 43 cm.
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Old carved bone double barbed fishhook and old bone ring
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A hand-painted ethnic ghost mask coloured in pigments of ochre, blue and red. 23 x 18.9 cm.
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Old Papua New Guinea large carved and painted wooden head sculpture, adzed finish, all over ochre and black pigment highlights, length 42 cm.
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Two Papua New Guinea bamboo spear throwers with carved wooden bird form slotted to the shaft with fibre lashing, length .81 cm (both).
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A New Guinean carved wooden head, three quarter life size. Reputedly a talking piece equivalent to an orator's talking stick, as an object of aboriginal democracy, the head a representation of an ancestor, was held to indicate the turn to speak. Stained, with white pigment decoration and cowrie shells inset to the eyes, height 18 cm. Provenance: collection of Denis, length Dutton (1944 ' 2010), then John F. Perry (1943-2021), then to our vendor/collector who has exhibited this piece at the little dog…
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A large vintage Papua New Guinea war shield, carved with three stylised faces and highlighted with ochre and white pigments, height 197 cm.
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An old Kundu drum from Papua New Guinea waisted cylindrical form, reskinned and bound. Geometric carved band to the base, height 79.5 cm.
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Two vintage woven natural fibre bags with stained and patterned decoration the larger with green baize lining, height 250 and 30 cm (approximately).
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An old tree trunk section carved with the bust of a woman her flowing hair partly natural form. Tapered base, height 22.5 cm.
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An old Asmat stone and wood hafted adze from Western Papua New Guinea (Irian Jaya Barat), with split cane lashing, length 56.5 cm overall.
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An Alafolo club from the Island of Malaita Solomon Islands, the long blade of tapering diamond profile with flared protrusions to the top and shaped sections to the grip. The finely carved highlights filled with a white pigment to enhance its appearance, length 104 cm.
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An Indonesian carved wood witch-doctor's stick with moveable section and seated figure, length 41 cm.
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A pair of Indonesian Naga metal witchcraft horses, length 13 cm.
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An Indonesian Sumba stone figural carving with fish offering, height 33 cm. The base showing evidence of being broken from a larger carving.
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An old Indonesian Sumba carved marker stone with tortoise to the top and crocodile and monkey carved to the front of the rectangular block, height 23 cm.
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A collection of eight antique Burmese decorated and fired clay opium pipe bowls, the stems broken. Raised on clear perspex stand.
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Two old iron headed hatchets with wood handles, length 35 cm and 33.5 cm.
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Tsonga Mozambique carved wood headrest with concave topped bar, notched and lineal detail to the support. W.17.5 cm. Raised on modern ebonised stand.
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An African carved hardwood seated ancestral figure, height 68 cm.
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A 19th century Zulu war axe, traditional ten inch cutting blade, the haft with metal banded decoration, length 80 cm.
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An African Dan passport mask with pierced eyes and mouth, height 29 cm (excluding vegetative beard).
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An African vintage carved bird face mask, height 40 x 24 cm.
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An old African carved wood Suku female fertility figure, with animal fur and feather arms and fibre fringe. Remains of all over pigmented finish, height 63 cm.
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An African carved horn scoop, carved handle as female form possible fertility themed as facial detail below, length 25 cm.
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River worn reddish brown stone boulder, length 28 cm.
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Sandstone boulder/hag or anchor stone with slightly tapered cylindrical pierced hole. 24 x 19 x 14.5 cm.
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Two stalactites, height 26.5 cm and 18 cm.
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Four various rocks including one of small hand club form largest, length 19 cm.
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Two sandstone boulder/hag or anchor stones with slightly tapered cylindrical pierced hole. Approximate circular form, diameter 200 and 15.5 cm.
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A sandstone boulder/hag or anchor stone with dominant slightly tapered cylindrical pierced hole. 24 x 22 x 21 cm.
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Three sandstone boulder/hag or anchor stones each with an approximately cylindrical piercing, length 10 cm (two) and 22 cm.
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