A NEW CALEDONIAN KANAK ADZE

Adzes like this example were among the most important tools in pre-contact Polynesia and Melanesia due to their unfamiliarity with the process of metal forging. Adzes were utilized for a variety of utilitarian and agricultural practices; however, it was the ceremonial nature of the nephrite blade that made this example truly marvelous. Nephrite was typically used with adzes meant to encapsulate the chiefly authority of the ruling individual, and their power was derived from the earth which the adze would move.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Abe Rossman collection, New York
Kanak, people, South Pacific, Coral Sea, New Caledonia (Nouvelle-Caledonie),
Wood, nephrite and coconut fibre, 12,7 x 9,2 x 20,6 cm
Early 19th century

Price: Upon request.