Taonga Maori in the British Museum
Taonga Maori in the British Museum
Dorota C. Starecka, Roger Neich, Mick Pendergrast. 2010 Te Papa, Wellington. ISBN 978187738576-6
Blurb
Written by specialists from both New Zealand and Britain, Taonga Māori in the British Museum includes a substantial introduction detailing the history of these significant taonga and their acquisition. Ranging from the domestic to the ceremonial, these treasures are further explored in a catalogue that contains more than 300 photographs, a glossary and an appendix listing collectors, donors and vendors making Taonga Māori in the British Museum the definitive publication on this remarkable collection.
Mini Review
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The Maori collections of the British Museum have long been known to have many fine objects, even if it is a small collection compared to New Zealand Museums. In the former branch Museum of Mankind at least a few were displayed. With the move back to the Bloomsbury site there seem to be fewer Maori objects on display. The many treasures of the Museum no doubt compete for space. Still this publication is some compensation, for it does the collection proud. The book covers the history of the collection very well, the sites where it is held, the curators, the scholars who have visited and used the collection and most valuably an extensive section on the parent collections which came into the collection and the collectors.
The collection is biased to the sort of small exotic collectables that went into sailors chests, but there are a few larger items, some indeed found only in this collection. For the earlier added items their exact provenance in New Zealand is very often unknown. The authors are meticulous in their cataloguing of the collection. Many but not all of the items are illustrated. There are fine colour depictions of some of the important objects and many more in halftone – the latter tending to being a record rather than an art house depiction. Some greater attention to the printing process may have helped with these as contrast is often lacking. Some objects placed side by side on pages have been lit from different angles – an irritation in an expensive book, but they fulfil the function. Thanks to the authors, Te Papa and the BM – this will be a resource of great value.
