COMMUNIQUÉ
TREASURES OF OCEANIC ART
RAINER WERNER BOCK COLLECTION
VENTE AUX ENCHÈRES À NEUILLY-SUR-SEINE
5-6-7 APRIL 2017
EXHIBITIONS: MARCH 29TH TO APRIL 4TH
The Rainer Werner Bock collection of Oceanic art,
to be sold at AGUTTES on 5 and 6 April, is comparable to the one assembled by the Korrigane expedition (a scientific voyage carried out under the patronage of the Musée d’Ethnographie du Trocadéro,
Paris, between 1934 and 1936), partially dispersed at
Drouot in 1961.
Twenty years ago, one of the top dealers in pre-Columbian art from the other side of the Atlantic decided
to start his personal collection of Oceanic art.
Rainer Werner Bock, a German who later immigrated
to the USA, has always been a tireless traveller and
art lover. He fulfilled his dream when he moved to the
Hawaiian Islands, where he built up the largest-ever
private collection of Hawaiian art.
Eager to share his childhood vision with as many
people as possible, he worked hard to open a museum on Maui Island, but, regrettably, was not supported by local politicians.
NGUZUNGUZU FIGUREHEAD
(Solomon Islands)
Provenance: Tod Barlin Collection (Sydney)
22,000 / 28,000 €
Press contact: Art & Communication – www.art-et-communication.fr
Sylvie Robaglia : +33 (0)6 72 59 57 34 - [email protected]
Hôtel des Ventes de Neuilly
164 bis, avenue Charles de Gaulle
92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine
Tel : +33 (0)1 47 45 55 55
Fax : +33 (0)1 47 45 54 31
Hôtel des Ventes de Lyon-Brotteaux
13 bis, place Jules Ferry
69006 Lyon
Tel : +33 (0)4 37 24 24 24
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«I owe this auction to my friend Claude Aguttes. He came to see me one
day, and just said: let these objects go; watch them scatter all over the
world, like birds carrying a message of the intrinsic beauty of art from the
Southern Seas, and evidence of your eye and taste.»
Rainer Werner Bock
THE WORLD’S LARGEST PRIVATE COLLECTION OF HAWAIIAN ART
Never before have so many Hawaiian objects been
brought together, except by the Bishop Museum
in Honolulu. Rainer Werner Bock’s collection takes
various forms: 18th-century bowls, regalia, drums,
fishing equipment, necklaces in feathers or hair,
spears lances, pestles, and more.
There is a wealth of historical pieces as well, like this
spear (estimate: €68,000/75,000) collected by Captain Cook during his third expedition in 1779/1780,
and this flag dating from the Hawaiian monarchic
period (estimate: €12,000/15,000).
Nearly 500 objects speak to us of the daily lives of
people from this archipelago of 137 islands, inhabited for many centuries by Polynesian peoples until
the arrival of the explorer James Cook in 1778. Unified as one kingdom in around 1810, with a brief
period as a republic (1894-1898), the Archipelago
was annexed by the US in the late 19th century.
The sale also contains treasures coming to auction
for the first time, discovered, and sometimes saved
at least from oblivion but certainly from their owners’
lack of interest, by Rainer Werner Bock. One is this
Hawaiian war helmet, part of the collection assembled by one of the first French scientific expeditions
to Hawaii, and formerly displayed in a French university museum during the 19th century (estimate:
€55,000/65,000).
Rainer Werner Bock’s home in Hawaii
Press contact: Art & Communication – www.art-et-communication.fr
Sylvie Robaglia : +33 (0)6 72 59 57 34 - [email protected]
Hôtel des Ventes de Neuilly
164 bis, avenue Charles de Gaulle
92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine
Tel : +33 (0)1 47 45 55 55
Fax : +33 (0)1 47 45 54 31
Hôtel des Ventes de Lyon-Brotteaux
13 bis, place Jules Ferry
69006 Lyon
Tel : +33 (0)4 37 24 24 24
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THE LARGEST PRIVATE COLLECTION OF HAWAIIAN ART
PAHU WAR DRUM, HAWAIIAN ISLANDS, POLYNESIA
19th century
Provenance :
Former collection of the Niagara Falls Museum, Canada’s oldest
museum, which opened in 1827.
William Jamieson Collection (Toronto)
12,500 / 15,000 €
RARE HISTORIC IHE LAUMEKI SPEAR COLLECTED
BY CAPTAIN COOK, HAWAIIAN ISLANDS, POLYNESIA
18th century
Provenance :
Collection of Captain James Cook during his third expedition
(1779/1780)
Joseph Banks or Charles Greville, UK.
Earl of Warwick, UK.
Trustees of Warwick Castle resettlement, Sotheby’s, London. 8 December 1969. Lot 169.
K. J. Hewitt, London.
Lord McAlpine of West Green, UK
Private collection, Australia
68,000 / 75,000 €
Press contact: Art & Communication – www.art-et-communication.fr
Sylvie Robaglia : +33 (0)6 72 59 57 34 - [email protected]
Hôtel des Ventes de Neuilly
164 bis, avenue Charles de Gaulle
92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine
Tel : +33 (0)1 47 45 55 55
Fax : +33 (0)1 47 45 54 31
Hôtel des Ventes de Lyon-Brotteaux
13 bis, place Jules Ferry
69006 Lyon
Tel : +33 (0)4 37 24 24 24
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THE LARGEST PRIVATE COLLECTION OF HAWAIIAN ART
HISTORIC FLAG OF HAWAII,
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS, POLYNESIA
19th century.
Silk
12,000 / 15,000 €
In 1816, King Kamehameha produced his own flag,
which gave rise to the present-day Hawaii flag. Historians attribute its design to an officer of the Royal Navy,
whose identity remains uncertain; this was based on a
version of the British naval flag. The original only had seven stripes; an eighth was added in 1845. This one, featuring eight, can thus be dated to the monarchic period
between 1845 and the end of the 19th century.
WAR HELMET, HAWAII, POLYNESIA
18th century
Fibre
Provenance :
Very probably the French Uranie expedition under Freycinet’s command (1779-1842).
Collection of Captain Berard Musée de la Faculté des
Sciences de Montpellier, France. Bibliography: Joseph
Feher, «Hawaii: A Pictorial History» - Bernice P. Bishop
Museum Special Publication No. 58, 1969- Page 85
55,000 / 65,000 €
Press contact: Art & Communication – www.art-et-communication.fr
Sylvie Robaglia : +33 (0)6 72 59 57 34 - [email protected]
Hôtel des Ventes de Neuilly
164 bis, avenue Charles de Gaulle
92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine
Tel : +33 (0)1 47 45 55 55
Fax : +33 (0)1 47 45 54 31
Hôtel des Ventes de Lyon-Brotteaux
13 bis, place Jules Ferry
69006 Lyon
Tel : +33 (0)4 37 24 24 24
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THE LARGEST PRIVATE COLLECTION OF HAWAIIAN ART
BOWL, HAWAIIAN ISLANDS, POLYNESIA
19th century
Bowl in hanging net, Hawaii
6,500 / 7,500 €
ORNAMENT, ISLAND OF O’AHU, HAWAII, POLYNESIA
19th century
Feathers
20 cm X 19,5 cm
8,500 / 9,500 €
Press contact: Art & Communication – www.art-et-communication.fr
Sylvie Robaglia : +33 (0)6 72 59 57 34 - [email protected]
Hôtel des Ventes de Neuilly
164 bis, avenue Charles de Gaulle
92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine
Tel : +33 (0)1 47 45 55 55
Fax : +33 (0)1 47 45 54 31
Hôtel des Ventes de Lyon-Brotteaux
13 bis, place Jules Ferry
69006 Lyon
Tel : +33 (0)4 37 24 24 24
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THE LARGEST PRIVATE COLLECTION OF HAWAIIAN ART
RAIN MANTLE, ISLAND OF HAWAII,
HAWAIIAN ISLANDS, POLYNESIA
19th century
This rare mantle is made with leaf fibres (lauhala).
2,500 / 3,000 €
UNE EXCEPTIONNELLE COLLECTION D’HAMEÇONS
La sélection d’hameçons opérée par R. W. Bock,
rappelle s’il en était besoin que les hameçons,
tiennent une place prépondérante chez les peuples
océaniens. La collection de plus de 300 hameçons
est une parfaite récapitulation de l’art halieutique
du XVIIème au XIXème siècle, chaque pièce ayant été
soigneusement sélectionnée pour la brillance et le
poli de sa nacre. Les peuples d’Océanie étant ceux
qui ont le plus brillamment développé le travail de la
nacre à travers les siècles.
Enfin, des exemplaires en métal réunis par Rainer
Werner Bock dans une volonté de ne rien oublier,
témoignent de l’arrivée d’hameçons exogènes en
métal, synchronisée avec l’arrivée des Européens et
de leur technologie, il y a plus de 150 ans.
Press contact: Art & Communication – www.art-et-communication.fr
Sylvie Robaglia : +33 (0)6 72 59 57 34 - [email protected]
Hôtel des Ventes de Neuilly
164 bis, avenue Charles de Gaulle
92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine
Tel : +33 (0)1 47 45 55 55
Fax : +33 (0)1 47 45 54 31
Hôtel des Ventes de Lyon-Brotteaux
13 bis, place Jules Ferry
69006 Lyon
Tel : +33 (0)4 37 24 24 24
COMMUNIQUÉ
THE MODEL BOAT COLLECTION
Model boat collections have always been the
highlight, if not the sine qua non, of any great collection of Oceanic art. In addition, two life-size
canoes are to be sold: ancient pirogues from Tahiti and the island of Niue. The collection assem-
bled by Rainer Werner Bock is similar to those
of the Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac
and the Musée des Confluences in Lyon. Many
pieces come from the former Oldman Collection
(see archive photos below).
Rainer Werner Bock’s collection of model boats
Press contact: Art & Communication – www.art-et-communication.fr
Sylvie Robaglia : +33 (0)6 72 59 57 34 - [email protected]
Hôtel des Ventes de Neuilly
164 bis, avenue Charles de Gaulle
92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine
Tel : +33 (0)1 47 45 55 55
Fax : +33 (0)1 47 45 54 31
Hôtel des Ventes de Lyon-Brotteaux
13 bis, place Jules Ferry
69006 Lyon
Tel : +33 (0)4 37 24 24 24
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VERY LARGE MODEL OF WAR
CANOE, MAORI, NEW ZEALAND,
POLYNESIA
19th century
Provenance :
Collection of the Commonwealth Institute
Museum, London.
Former Oldman collection.
Kevin Conru Gallery, London, UK.
45,000 / 55,000 €
Press contact: Art & Communication – www.art-et-communication.fr
Sylvie Robaglia : +33 (0)6 72 59 57 34 - [email protected]
Hôtel des Ventes de Neuilly
164 bis, avenue Charles de Gaulle
92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine
Tel : +33 (0)1 47 45 55 55
Fax : +33 (0)1 47 45 54 31
Hôtel des Ventes de Lyon-Brotteaux
13 bis, place Jules Ferry
69006 Lyon
Tel : +33 (0)4 37 24 24 24
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POLYNESIA AND NEW CALEDONIA
U’U CLUB, MARQUESAS ISLANDS, POLYNESIA
19th century
Casuarina equisetifolia wood with an exceptional dark,
glistening patina
Provenance
This U’u club comes from the remarkable collection of
James Hooper (1897-1971), dispersed in London in six sales
by Christie’s.
Publications: Phelps, «Art and artefacts of the Pacific, Africa and the Americas», The James Hooper Collection, 1976,
Page 106, No. 451.
Inventory number H451, HOOPER COLLECTION No. 1310,
inventory number MHMC1161
75,000 / 85,000 €
AIRI RELIQUARY FISH, SOLOMON
ISLANDS, SANTA ANA REGION,
MELANESIA
20th century
Darkened wood, shells A deep rectangular
cavity in the middle of this darkened wood
swordfish holds the skull of an ancestor.
47,000 / 75,000 €
The people of the Solomon Islands do
not believe in the idea of a supreme god
or important divinities: however, they venerate the spirits of celebrated ancestors.
Various animals are associated with these
spirits, like the frigate bird, the shark and the
swordfish. Large reliquaries from the Solomon Islands are extremely rare, and are not
often found in private collections.
Press contact: Art & Communication – www.art-et-communication.fr
Sylvie Robaglia : +33 (0)6 72 59 57 34 - [email protected]
Hôtel des Ventes de Neuilly
164 bis, avenue Charles de Gaulle
92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine
Tel : +33 (0)1 47 45 55 55
Fax : +33 (0)1 47 45 54 31
Hôtel des Ventes de Lyon-Brotteaux
13 bis, place Jules Ferry
69006 Lyon
Tel : +33 (0)4 37 24 24 24
COMMUNIQUÉ
POLYNESIA AND NEW CALEDONIA
PESTLE, TAHITI, POLYNESIA
18/19th century
Stone
14 X 12 cm
Provenance :
Charles Ratton, Paris (circa 1920/1930)
Joseph Mueller (Switzerland),
Former collection of the Barbier Mueller Museum, Geneva
15,000 / 18,000 €
TAHI’I FAN, MARQUESAS ISLANDS, POLYNESIA
19th century
Provenance:
Christie’s, June 2012, Lot 104
30 000 / 35 000 €
This type of finery has always been considered one of the most
dazzling artistic achievements of Polynesian art. The object was
used solely by high-ranking men and women, the only people
allowed to handle them.
KANAK MASK, NEW CALEDONIA
19th century
Provenance :
Former French collection.
California collection, US
45,000 / 55,000 €
With their prominent noses and eyes without pupils, these
extremely severe masks were made to overawe. They were
partly made with the hair of people in charge of the deceased’s
body during the various stages of mourning. Their use died out
at the beginning of colonisation, and their meaning with them.
Press contact: Art & Communication – www.art-et-communication.fr
Sylvie Robaglia : +33 (0)6 72 59 57 34 - [email protected]
Hôtel des Ventes de Neuilly
164 bis, avenue Charles de Gaulle
92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine
Tel : +33 (0)1 47 45 55 55
Fax : +33 (0)1 47 45 54 31
Hôtel des Ventes de Lyon-Brotteaux
13 bis, place Jules Ferry
69006 Lyon
Tel : +33 (0)4 37 24 24 24