Whales were understood throughout Polynesia to be manifestations of the ocean god Tangaloa (Tahiti: Ta’aroa; Hawai’i: Kanaloa). Whalebone and ivory were therefore considered sacred relics into which the god’s divine essence was fused. Expertly fashioned into elaborate breastplates and pendants or split lengthwise to form spectacular necklaces, this rare and valuable material visually reinforced the chiefs’ descent from the gods and legitimated their rule.
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Artwork Details
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Title:Pendant
Date:18th–19th century
Geography:United States, Hawai'i
Culture:Hawai'i
Medium:Whalebone
Dimensions:H. 2 1/2 × W. 1 1/2 × D. 1 7/8 in. (6.4 × 3.8 × 4.8 cm)
Classification:Bone
Credit Line:The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979
Accession Number:1979.206.1587
(Sotheby's, London, February 6, 1961, no.129); [John J. Klejman, New York, until 1961]; Nelson A. Rockefeller, New York, 1961, on permanent loan to The Museum of Primitive Art, New York, 1961–1978
Museum of Primitive Art. "Masterpieces from the South Seas in the Collection of the MOPA," May 19, 1965–October 3, 1965.
Museum of Primitive Art. "The World of Primitive Art," July 12, 1966–September 11, 1966.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Art of Oceania, Africa and the Americas from The Museum of Primitive Art," May 10–August 17, 1969.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Masterpieces of Fifty Centuries," November 14, 1970–June 1, 1971.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Sculpture of Oceania," April 4–September 5, 1972.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Art of Oceania, Africa and the Americas," September 22, 1972–1974.
American Federation of Arts. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," January 5, 1975–May 15, 1977.
Seattle Art Museum. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," January 5, 1975–February 16, 1975.
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," March 23, 1975–May 4, 1975.
Dallas Museum of Art. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," June 8, 1975–July 20, 1975.
Art Institute of Chicago. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," August 25, 1975–October 10, 1975.
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," November 9, 1975–December 21, 1975.
Toledo Museum of Art. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," April 11, 1976–May 25, 1976.
Walker Art Center. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," June 27, 1976–August 8, 1976.
Denver Art Museum. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," September 10, 1976–November 7, 1976.
de Young Museum, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," March 12, 1977–May 15, 1977.
National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. "The Art of the Pacific Islands," Sunday, July 1, 1979 - Sunday, October 14, 1979.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Atea: Nature and Divinity in Polynesia," November 19, 2018–October 27, 2019.
Shanghai. Museum of Art Pudong. "The Shape of Time: Art and Ancestors of Oceania from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," June 1–August 20, 2023.
Doha. Qatar Museums. "The Shape of Time: Art and Ancestors of Oceania from The Metropolitan Museum of Art," October 24, 2023–January 15, 2024.
Sotheby & Co. Fine African Sculpture/Oceanic and South American Art. February 6, 1961, no. 129.
Museum of Primitive Art. Masterpieces in the Museum of Primitive Art: Africa, Oceania, North America, Mexico, Central to South America, Peru. Handbook series. New York, NY: Museum of Primitive Art, 1965, no. 57a. b, c.
Wardwell, Allen. The Sculpture of Polynesia. Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1967, p. 69, no. 86.
Metropolitan Museum of Art. Art of Oceania, Africa, and the Americas from the Museum of Primitive Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1969, no. 1.
American Federation of Arts. Primitive Art Masterworks: an exhibition jointly organized by the Museum of Primitive Art and the American Federation of Arts, New York. New York: American Federation of Arts, 1974, no. 104.
Gathercole, P., Adrienne L. Kaeppler, and Douglas Newton. The Art of the Pacific Islands. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1979, p. 119, no. 1.23.
Kaeppler, Adrienne L. "Genealogy and Disrespect: A Study of Symbolism in Hawaiian Images." Res vol. 3 (1982), p. 91, fig. 18.
Valeri, Valerio. Kingship and Sacrifice: Ritual and Society in Ancient Hawaii. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1985.
Cox, J. Halley. Hawaiian Sculpture. Honolulu, 1988.
Kaeppler, Adrienne L., Christian Kaufmann, and Douglas Newton. Oceanic Art. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1997, pp. 432, 506, no. 392.
Nuku, Maia. Oceania: The Shape of Time. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2023, p. 177, pl. 118.
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