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THBRare 19th Century Marquesan Wood Stilt Step - Tapuvae
Lot 7b
About Seller
Artemis Fine Arts
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$1,500 - $2,500
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Fine Arts
Aug 22, 2025
Set Reminder
2025-08-22 10:00:00
2025-08-22 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Indigenous Art - Ralph T. Coe Center, Santa Fe, NM
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/indigenous-art---ralph-t-coe-center-santa-fe-nm-20324
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
View Full Catalog (452)
- Lot Description
French Polynesia, Marquesas Islands, ca. middle 19th century CE. A superb example of a ceremonial Marquesan tapuvae, or stilt step, intricately carved from dense hardwood. This tapering, architectural form was originally affixed to a long wooden pole and worn during ritual or high-status stilt-walking performances. The present piece features an incised anthropomorphic tiki figure, seated with flexed limbs and bearing Marquesan tattoo-like geometric patterning across the body and head. The projecting crescent-shaped platform at the top served as a footrest, while the lower spike would have been set into the main shaft. The expressive, large-eyed figure — with its pronounced brow ridge, angular shoulders, and stylized anatomical detailing — is characteristic of the Marquesan sculptural canon, echoing motifs seen on club hilts, architectural elements, and ritual ornaments. Size: 2.75" W x 15" H (7 cm x 38.1 cm); 16.25" H (41.3 cm) on included custom stand.
While stilt-walking was widely practiced across Polynesia, only in the Marquesas were such figural and decorated stilt steps created — and then only for elite ceremonial display, never for common use. Comparable examples are held in the collections of the British Museum, Musée du quai Branly, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Ralph T. Coe Legacy “Instruments of Passion” At The Santa Fe Show August 9-13, 2013/El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe Aug 14-30, 2013. This exhibition was comprised of approximately thirty-six objects from the Ralph T. Coe Foundation collection of Native American, African, and Oceanic objects. This selection is representative of Ted’s collecting interests over his lifetime and is curated by Bruce Bernstein with Tad Dale and assisted by Lisa Hsu Barrera, Ralph T. Coe Foundation Fellow 2013.
Provenance: Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, Purchased from Taylor (Tad) Dale Gallery in July 2006.
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
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#196396Intact and excellent with only a few minor scuffs.Condition
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