item details
NameLepau (tapa cloth)
ProductionSanta Cruz Islands
Classificationtextiles
Materialsbark cloth, tapa
DimensionsOverall: 430mm (width), 1290mm (length)
Registration NumberOL002270
Credit lineOldman Collection. Gift of the New Zealand Government, 1992
Overview
Extremely fine cross-hatching designs decorate the four panels of this thin tapa. In the Santa Cruz Islands, important men wore tapa like this as a lepau (headdress). Tapa was also draped on figures representing gods and ancestors.
Acquisition
This tapa was acquired by London dealer William Oldman, whose extensive collection known as the Oldman Collection was purchased by the New Zealand Government in 1948.