Ha' akai ornaments, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia French Polynesia Sperm whale tooth Height: 70mm Provenance: Rosman Rubel Collection, New York - Rosman Rubel Collection, New York acquired from previous owner in 1983. - Galerie Lemaire, Amsterdam Distinctive insignia, chieftains' ornaments made of sperm whale, called ha'akai, were traditionally worn on the ears. From the thick oval disk with its fluted rim, small tiki figures are sculpted in high relief. Their expressiveness reveals the undeniable technical prowess and finesse of Polynesian dignitary arts. A hole at the base of the spur was used to insert a peg to hold the disc tight against the lobe (Hooper, 2008, p. 159, no. 111). Very similar ornaments are listed in the former James Hooper collection (Phelps, 1976: 101, 419) and in the Musée d'ethnographie de Genève (inv. ETHOC 041789). See also Sotheby's, New York, November 17, 2006, no. 252. The soft ecru color of these ornaments is matched by their finely detailed execution, and the importance of the material used is matched by the importance of the people who wore them. The rarity here is conferred by the preciously preserved pair. The tiki faces, blurred by time and use, nevertheless retain the strength of their expressiveness.