Description:

**Originally Listed At $500**

Oceania, Papua New Guinea, ca. late 19th to early 20th century CE. An elegant adze blade of rectangular form, hand-whetted from dark grey basalt. The fascinating implement tapers to a sharp edge on one side and is slightly slanted at the other, which has a blunt end. Adze heads like this example are typically wrapped with vegetal reeds and attached to a hand-carved wooden handle. Adzes are traditionally given as gifts and are widely used throughout Papua New Guinea for all manner of crafting and carving projects, such as dugout canoes and wooden sculptures. Size: 6.2" L x 1.7" W (15.7 cm x 4.3 cm)

This piece was sold by Sotheby's London in "The Charter House Collection" auction on November 5th, 2002 as part of a group of 6 New Guinea stone adze blades listed as lot 1.

Provenance: private Newport Beach, California, USA Collection; ex-Sotheby's, London "The Charter House Collection" auction (November 5, 2002, part of lot 1); ex-Reverend Lord Charles Harvey collection, according to Sotheby's London: Born in 1814, the Rev. Lord Charles Amelius Hervey, D.D., M.A. was the son of Frederick William Hervey, 1st Marquess of Bristol, and his wife, Elizabeth Albana, the daughter of Lord Templeton. He married Lady Harriet Ryder, the daughter of Lord Harrowby in 1839, and died in 1880."

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#161894

  • Condition: "12-1957" inscribed on one side. Some nicks and chips, commensurate with age and use. Otherwise, excellent.

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$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