COOK ISLANDS, WEST POLYNESIA Rare "No'Oangu" chief's... Lot 173

COOK ISLANDS, WEST POLYNESIA Rare "No'Oangu" chief's chair, with curved rectangular top, resting on four stylized zoomorphic feet. Wood, old russet and honey patina. Marks of use, traces of random primitive polishing. H. 12 cm; W. 45 cm; D. 20 cm. An elegant, relatively small and easily transportable symbol of chiefly status, carved from a single piece of Tamanu wood, a luxurious hardwood with a dark patina. The graceful curved legs suggest the presence of an animal, but the exact significance of this silhouette remains unknown. This seat is distinguished by its balance of form, age and state of preservation. Bibliography: Eric Kjellgren, Oceania: Art of the Pacific Islands in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yale University Press. Pages 304 and 305, for similar seats). Provenance: former Russo collection, New Jersey, USA.