Taonga Maori British Museum

TAONGA MĀORI IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM
Dorota C. Starzecka, Roger Neich and Mick Pendergrast
NZ$950.00
An indispensable and now scarce reference work documenting the most extensive collection of taonga Māori held outside Aotearoa New Zealand.
Written by three distinguished specialists, Taonga Māori in the British Museum brings together the results of decades of research into the museum’s remarkable Māori collection. More than 2,300 taonga are catalogued, ranging from early whakairo rākau, weapons, paddles and model waka to adornment, musical instruments, fishing equipment, domestic objects, kete and finely worked textiles.
The substantial introductory essays examine the formation of the British Museum collection, the people responsible for collecting and presenting these works, and the developing study of Māori material culture in Britain and New Zealand. Detailed catalogue entries record provenance, tribal and regional attribution, materials, construction and historical context.
The book includes 40 full-colour plates and approximately 300 black-and-white photographs, many illustrating important taonga that are seldom—or never—placed on public display. Mick Pendergrast’s specialist knowledge makes the sections devoted to Māori weaving and textiles especially authoritative.
Published jointly by Te Papa Press and the British Museum, this monumental hardback has long been out of print and is increasingly difficult to obtain. It remains an essential reference for collectors, museum professionals, researchers, artists and anyone seriously interested in historic Māori art.
REVIEWS
“This monumental reference book … will be indispensable for students and scholars.”
— Weekend Herald, June 2011
“One of the most important books published in New Zealand during 2011.”
— Auckland Art Gallery Outpost
“There is no comparable volume presenting Taonga Māori held in any other museum.”
— Auckland Art Gallery Outpost
Publication details:
Hardback with dust jacket
352 pages
40 colour plates and approximately 300 black-and-white illustrations
297 × 210 mm
Published by Te Papa Press, 2011
ISBN 978-1-877385-76-6
Out of print
Condition: Very good second-hand condition with light evidence of handling.