item details
NameWhao pounamu (nephrite chisel, hafted)
ProductionUnknown; carver; 1878-1905; Gisborne
Classificationchisels
Materialspounamu, wood, vine (plant material)
Techniqueswoodcarving, lapidary
DimensionsOverall: 20mm (width), 150mm (length), 20mm (depth), 20mm (diameter)
Registration NumberME001083
Credit lineHenry Hill Collection. Purchased 1905
Overview
This wood carving whao (chisel) consists of a pounamu (New Zealand greenstone) blade lashed to a wooden kakau (handle) with a strip of (unidentified) vine.
Scribers
Small whao, such as this, were usually used as 'scribers' - wood carving instruments that didn't require the use of a tā (striking mallet). Directed by the hand of the carver, they were capable of producing very fine work, as typified by other objects on Collections Online, such as the kūwaha pataka (carved figure: OL000489) and pare fragment (door lintel: WE000377).