oceania | Easter Island
Rapa Nui Figure
Easter Island
Large Moai Vie female figure
Easter Island – Rapa Nui
Late 19th century
Carved wood and bone
Height: 69 cm – 27 ¼ in.
Provenance
Ex collection Stéphane Mangin, Paris
Ex Christie’s Paris, 7 June 2005, lot 131
Ex collection Leridon, France, acquired at the above sale
Moai Vie figure 69 cm / Galerie Flak
Price on request
Rapa Nui wood-carved human figures are all called moai. There are various types of moai such as moai kavakava (figure with protruding ribcage), moai papa (female figure), moai vie (another type of female figure) and moai tangata (male figure).
The figure described here can be classified as moai vie.
The face of the moai figure described here has similarities with a moai vie: a straight nose, rectangular-shaped ears, no tattoo marks on the skull. The erect posture is also characteristic of a moai vie. Stylistically, the faces of moai vie are closely related to the celebrated stone heads (moai aringa ora). Despite their obvious differences in size, their awe-inspiring expressivity and the intensity of their gaze are similarly impressive
Wood-carved human figures are said to be the representations of ancestors. They were kept in private houses and used for domestic worship. They were presumably also presented during public ceremonies.
The figure described here can be classified as moai vie.
The face of the moai figure described here has similarities with a moai vie: a straight nose, rectangular-shaped ears, no tattoo marks on the skull. The erect posture is also characteristic of a moai vie. Stylistically, the faces of moai vie are closely related to the celebrated stone heads (moai aringa ora). Despite their obvious differences in size, their awe-inspiring expressivity and the intensity of their gaze are similarly impressive
Wood-carved human figures are said to be the representations of ancestors. They were kept in private houses and used for domestic worship. They were presumably also presented during public ceremonies.
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