This particular piece was inspired by a book I read to my son some time ago which spoke about many of the lost fishing techniques Maori used in pre-european times.
This piece was sculpted in clay and cast in bronze, has a blade hand carved from a piece of Inanga (NZ jade) and is presented as an art piece standing nearly 600mm tall.
As you can see in the photos, there are small ribs running along the underside of the main body. Matau, like this one would have had a curved wooden shank fashioned from a native hardwood sapling that would have been carefully restrained so that it would grow into the required shape. The barb would have been made from either stone or albatross bone and tied together with Muka (flax fibre) with small strips of Raupo leaf inserted in-between to help set the binding.
The original hooks would have been approximately 100 - 150mm in height
Height: 600mm
Weight: 3.0 kgs
Process: Hot cast bronze
Limited edition: 10 ONLY
**Please note, each piece may vary slightly in colour due to the bronzing process and stone colour
*** The price is for ONE piece only (But looks great as a pair)
Prices can vary dependant on how many of the edition have been sold previously, If you're interested in purchasing this sculpture and would like to discuss further, please get in touch through the online form on our Contact page.