Table centrepiece, in the form of a Mamaku (tree fern)

This is a silver table centrepiece in the form of a 12-frond tree fern (24.5 cm x 14.5 cm). It has the words 'mamaku' (black tree fern) and 'kia ora' (a common Māori greeting) engraved on the base. Frank Grady (1840-1915) created the centrepiece in about 1900 in Wellington, New Zealand.

 

• This is an example of the elaborate table centrepieces that were fashionable in European households at the time.
• It uses the fern motif, which was popular for Victorian decorative objects - fern collecting was a common hobby in New Zealand and England at the time.
• It is an example of Frank Grady's skill as a silversmith - he came to New Zealand from Birmingham in 1886, worked as a jeweller in Wellington and by 1910 employed five men in his workshop.
• It shows that the use of Māori words and design motifs in decorative objects was popular and demonstrates that there was cultural interaction.