Lot 82B

Early 1900s Maori Carved Wood Wakahuia Treasure Box - Paua Inlays

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Lot 82
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Early 1900s Maori Carved Wood Wakahuia Treasure Box - Paua Inlays
Early 1900s Maori Carved Wood Wakahuia Treasure Box - Paua Inlays
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3 image_4

Early 1900s Maori Carved Wood Wakahuia Treasure Box - Paua Inlays

Estimate: $1,600 - $2,250

Starting Bid: $800

(0 Bids)
by Artemis Fine Arts
August 6, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

New Zealand, Maori culture, ca. early 20th century CE. A masterfully carved Maori Revival wood feather or treasure box known as a wakahuia. The body is carved with a seated tiki figure at each end, bodies covered in tattoo patterning, tongues extended, and eyes inlaid with abalone (paua) shell. The sides carry additional carved tiki faces, and the elaborately carved lid features a handle of two tiki resting head to head, tongues out and hands clasped before them, with abalone inlaid eyes, the remainder of the lid covered in tiki masks. The interior is stained a dark red-purple. Size: 8" H x 13" L x 5.5" W (20.3 cm H x 33.0 cm L x 14.0 cm W).

The wakahuia, or treasure box, was among the most prized possessions of a Maori household, made to hold personal taonga (treasures) such as huia feathers, greenstone ornaments, and combs. Because these boxes were suspended from the rafters of the house, their undersides were carved as elaborately as their lids, as they were meant to be viewed from below. Notably, this example is not carved on the underside, and was made to rest on a tabletop or other flat surface, indicating it was produced during the Revival period for display or sale rather than for traditional suspension, reflecting the changing contexts in which carved works circulated by the early 20th century, when carving traditions were actively renewed, in part through institutions such as the Maori Arts and Crafts school founded at Rotorua in 1926, and when fine carved works were also produced for presentation.

Provenance: private Texas, USA collection acquired in 2023 from Lotus Gallery, Austin, Texas, USA

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Item # 203995

  • Condition: Missing several shell inlays along the body and lid. Some chips and abrasions, but no repairs. Missing a peg on the interior lip for keeping the lid in place.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000