Ebonised Coffer by Thomas Aubrey Chappe Hall, Maori Carving

An ebonised coffer by Thomas Aubrey Chappe Hall. The superbly carved box with a wheku head to the lid rendered in high relief with cut paua disc eyes and protruding tongue framed by ancestral figures and manaia. The outside edge with rauponga detailing. The front and back panels with forward facing figures flanked by manaia with cut paua disc eyes. The sides with wheku heads carved in low relief. Supported on four legs carved as tekoteko figures in high relief. Provenance: From the family of Thomas Aubrey Chappe Hall. Passed on by descent. Height 54 cm, length 70 cm, width 55 cm