Lot 339

Important Maori Jumping Jack Puppet / Kare Tao

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Lot 339
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Important Maori Jumping Jack Puppet / Kare Tao
Important Maori Jumping Jack Puppet / Kare Tao
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Important Maori Jumping Jack Puppet / Kare Tao

Estimate: $25,000 - $37,500

Starting Bid: $12,500

(0 Bids)
June 12, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
Louisville, CO, US
Description:

Karetao culture, Polynesia, New Zealand, ca. mid 19th century (1850’s- 1860’s). Carved hardwood jumping jack with incised facial tattoos. Men were tattooed both on the face and on the body; women not often and only sparsely on the body, and on the face, usually only about the mouth and chin. “When the daughter of an important chief had her lips and chin tattooed, a day was set apart on which the tribe would assemble to view the work of the artist. A party would be sent forth some time before to secure a member of another tribe for sacrifice and to give strength to the tribe by eating’.” (Elsdon Best, Trans. N. Z. Inst., xxx, 1897. Size: 20”H x 3.5”W (50.8 x 8.9cm).

Provenance: Private Florida collection. Ex. Collection of Mark Blackburn, HI, expert and author of “Polynesia: The Mark and Carolyn Blackburn Collection of Polynesian Art”, Adrienne L. Kaeppler, The University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, 2010. Cf. for similar examples see p. 336, fig. 443 & 444. Ex. Upstate NY. collection.

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Item # 71422

  • Condition: P. 38.) Intact. Excellent condition.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $749 $25
$750 $1,499 $50
$1,500 $2,999 $100
$3,000 $7,499 $250
$7,500 $14,999 $500
$15,000 + $1,000