MAORI WEAVING PEG, TURUTURU
NEW ZEALAND, 19TH CENTURY
Estimate: £2,000 - £3,000
Auction: 13 March 2025 from 13:00 GMT
Description
carved wood, with a rounded terminal handle, narrowing at the neck before widening again and tapering to a point, the upper third below the handle ornately carved, fine reddish patina
Dimensions
38.5cm long
Provenance
Private collection, Paris, France, acquired from the below
Thompson Roddick Auctioneers, Carlisle, 26th October 2021, lot 396
Private collection, United Kingdom
Footnote
Maori turuturu were used to pin the garment in place as it was being woven, their often ornate decoration illustrates a ritual significance. Garment weaving was conducted by women and was a highly formalised process learned over many years. The left-hand peg was always left plain, whilst the right hand was carved and dedicated to the lunar goddess, Hine-te-iwaiwa.
Maia Nuku, 2017, The Metropolitan Museum, New York