|
|
African and Oceanic Art from the Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva: A Legacy of Collecting
|
|
|
|
|
Male Figure (Moai Tangata)
Rapa Nui (Easter Island), early 19th century
Wood, obsidian, bone; H: 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm)
Provenance: Sir Jacob Epstein, England; John Hewett, England, 1962; [Aaron Furman, New York, 1972]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1972
|
|
In addition to its renowned stone figures, Rapa Nui (Easter Island) had an extensive tradition of wood sculpture, which included both realistic and highly stylized renditions of the human form. The most naturalistic of all Rapa Nui wood sculptures are the male figures known as moai tangata. While there is little precise information on their nature and significance, moai tangata likely portray ancestors and may have been used by individual families in private religious observances honoring their forbearers. The imagery of moai tangata is typically conventionalized, depicting the ancestor as an idealized male figure. However, some examples incorporate unusual and highly specific features, indicating that they may have been intended as realistic portraits. The sagging cheek and throat of this figure suggests that it depicts a specific individual who had a goiter or had suffered a stroke. The figure's unusual imagery may have been the source of its appeal to the pioneering modernist sculptor Sir Jacob Epstein, who once had this work in his personal collection. See a moai tangata in the Met's collection.
See the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History to learn more about Easter Island.
|
|
|
Back to main page for this exhibition
Back to images from this exhibition
