Plaque
Description
A plaque which features a caricatured Maori face with a moko which has been carved from Kauri gum and mounted on a varnished wooden base. The moko, hair and eyes have been painted and the remainder of the face is unpainted Kauri gum. A metal eye is screwed into the top of the base.
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Object detail
Classification
Credit line
Producing
varnish
for
the
American
market
may
have
been
the
basis
of
New
Zealand’s
kauri
gum
industry
but
many
chunks
of
gum
went
on
to
grace
Kiwi
living
rooms
instead.
This kauri gum plaque, that could be considered a kitsch Kiwiana classic, shows the versatility of the gum which could be chiselled, moulded or polished to suit. It is mounted on a polished wooden base and is designed to be hung on a wall using a small loop at the top.The original artist and history of the plaque is unknown but its crude, caricatured features seem to have fallen out of favour with its original owner as it fetched only $2 at a Devon Intermediate School gala day some years ago.
This kauri gum plaque, that could be considered a kitsch Kiwiana classic, shows the versatility of the gum which could be chiselled, moulded or polished to suit. It is mounted on a polished wooden base and is designed to be hung on a wall using a small loop at the top.The original artist and history of the plaque is unknown but its crude, caricatured features seem to have fallen out of favour with its original owner as it fetched only $2 at a Devon Intermediate School gala day some years ago.
Accession number
PA2007.227
Collection type
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