Rare Adze from Admiralty Islands
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Rare adze, Manus Province, Admiralty Islands. Carved and engraved wood, Obsidian and natural pigments. Obsidian blade secured into the stave with nut resin, the top of the shaft with crocodile head finial, painted in red, white and black pigment, length 81.5 x 18 cm. Provenance: Private Collection, New South Wales
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- Obsidian - Obsidian is an igneous rock, of volcanic origins, created when molten rock cools rapidly forming into a glass-like material. It has been used for thousands of years to make cutting tools.
- Finial - An architectural decoration, found on the upper parts of of an object. On furniture they are usually found on pediments, canopies and shelf supports. On smaller ceramic or silver items, such as spoons, they may decorate the top of the item itself, or the lid or cover where they provide a useful handle for removal.
Finials have a variety of shapes and forms. They may be urn-shaped, baluster shaped round or spiral, but usually taper into an upper point. Many real life shapes may also be used as finials, such as pineapples, berries, pinecones, buds, lotus and acorns. Sometimes animals such as a lion are depicted, or fish and dolphins.