The Discovery of Polynesia - Lot 147

The Discovery of Polynesia Exhibition catalog. Paris, Musée de l'Homme, January–June 1972. Large quarto, paperback, illustrated. An important catalog published in conjunction with the exhibition organized by the Society of Friends of the Musée de l'Homme, dedicated to Polynesian cultures and their artistic productions. The book presents a broad overview of the traditional arts of Polynesia, notably from New Zealand, the Marquesas Islands, Tahiti, the Cook Islands, and the entire Oceanic region. Richly illustrated with black-and-white photographs, it features reproductions of sculptures, ritual objects, masks, ornaments, ceremonial weapons, and Maori tattooed heads (Moko) from the collections of the Musée de l’Homme. The included photograph of a tattooed Māori head (Moko) attests to the exceptional ethnographic and artistic value of the collection as a whole. A reference work on the history of Oceanic arts and French ethnology of the 1970s. Condition: good copy despite some signs of handling and a slight mark on the cover.