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Maori Chief

Maori Chief
In this 1907 portrait, the richly tattooed Maori chief Te Aho Te Rangi Wharepu of New Zealand wears greenstone ear pendants and a greenstone neck pendant in the form of a contorted human figure. His cloak is decorated with strands of animal hair. In traditional Maori practice, tattoos indicated rank and were made by rubbing dye into incisions made in the skin.
Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum, Bournemouth/Bridgeman Art Library, London/New York
Appears in these articles:
Oceanian Art and Architecture; Tattooing
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