Master Carver Research Articles

Carved support beams of the Hetmanate

The article examines the carved support beams from the apartments of representatives of the families of the Cossack elders and the Orthodox clergy of the Hetmanate from the last quarter of the 17th till the end of 18th centuries. The creation of multi-ornamented support beams was a kind of confirmation of the social status of the owners of the houses and their artistic preferences, and an expression of the skill level of the master carvers of that time. The aim of the study is to analyze all the support beams of representatives of the Cossack elders and clergy of the 17th and 18th centuries known today and to achieve general undertanding regarding the specifics of these monuments of the material culture of the Hetmanate. For the first time in historiography, on the basis of information about the support beams preserved in museum collections and highlighted in scientific publications, a comprehensive general analysis of these monuments as a phenomenon of material culture was carried out. As a result of the analysis of information about 22 carved support beams of the 17th-18th centuries from the territory of the Hetmanate, it was concluded that the common features of these monuments are the presence (with some exceptions) of straight Orthodox crosses and inscriptions in the Church Slavonic language in the centers of the artefacts. In the ornamentation of the support beams, features characteristic of the late baroque and classicism can be traced. At the same time, both simpler and more richly decorated artefacts exist. The second group includes support beams from the houses of individual representatives of the Cossack elders. Each support beam was a visual manifestation of the owner's wealth and social status, and of their artistic preferences against the background of generally accepted cultural canons. At the same time, carved support beams are examples of the skill of Ukrainian master carvers of the early modern era, which need to be preserved for future generations. In general, the images on these products are permeated with Christian symbolism, although they also contain some symbols that occur in pagan sign systems.

INTRODUCTION—Reinvigorating Ancestral Practices: Honoring Land and Water Defenders, Indigenous Internationalisms, and Community Protocols

For Indigenous peoples, boundaries on homelands and waterways often denote places for family, clan and/or community responsibilities regarding stewardship or protection and are not merely lines of exclusion on a map. In this essay I begin by reflecting on the teachings of the late master carver and artist TEMOSEṈŦET (Dr. Charles Elliott from Tsartlip First Nation) and discuss how his artistry embodies Indigenous internationalism and intimate relationships to W̱SÁNEĆ lands and waters. Indigenous internationalism is practiced through diplomacies, activism, trade relations, treaties, solidarities, and other forms of Indigenous international relations which precede the formation of states. In this essay I look at the deeper meaning behind the Cherokee word for nation, ayetli, and discuss how Indigenous internationalism and land/water defense are expressed through stories, activism, and everyday actions that renew relational responsibilities to lands, waters, and more-than-human kin

Ikere-Ekiti in Art and Cultural Narratives

Ikere, a city in Ekiti State of southwestern Nigeria, comes up often in the literature of art history on two principal accounts: first, its art and architecture, and second, its major annual fesitval. These are the two central concerns of this paper. In the first part, the unique architecture of the afin and the traditional sculptures that were its central feature present the opportunity to examine the interconnectedness of continuity and change, tradition and modernity, and the centrality of art in the Oba's quest for political pre-eminence. Ikere came to in­ternational attention through the vlrtuoslc sculptures of one of Africa's master carvers--Olowe (ca. 1873-1938), who lived in Ise-Ekiti, a town about 15 miles east of Ikere. In addition to offering new insights into the relevance of Olowe to Ikere, this essay posits a re-examination of the birth year of Olowe. In the sec­ond part, this essay dissects the Olosunta festival, which remains central to the collective identity of a people who subscribe to different religious doctrines. The early history of Ikere acknowledges the city as a site for the simultaneous reign of two rulers, the Ogoga and the Olukere. But it is the annual celebration of the Olosunta festival that serves as the rallying point for the indigenes of the city at the same time that it provides a time-honored structure for handling potentially explosive cultural and political contestations.

Conception, construction and the cultural significance of Te Parapara Garden in Hamilton, Aotearoa New Zealand

Te Parapara Garden is the only complete pre-European-style Māori horticultural garden in the world. Historically inspired and empirically researched, it lies within the Hamilton Gardens on a young river terrace immediately adjacent to the Waikato River in Hamilton (Kirikiriroa), Aotearoa New Zealand. In this article, Wiremu Puke (Ngāti Wairere, Ngāti Porou) – a tohunga whakairo (master carver, including using pre-steel tools) and a tohunga whakapapa (genealogical expert on his tribal affiliations) of Ngāti Wairere (the mana whenua, or first people of the traditional ancestral tribal lands of Kirikiriroa) – describes the design and development of Te Parapara Garden from its initial concept in 2003 and the construction of its many features, including the waharoa (gateway), pou (carved pillars), pātaka (storehouse), whatarangi (small storehouse), taeapa (fencing) and rua kūmara (underground storage pit), and the sourcing and use of kōkōwai (red ochre). The garden was completed in 2010. Its ongoing functioning, including the annual planting and harvesting of traditional pre-European kūmara (sweet potato) using modified, mounded soils (puke or ahu), is also covered. The unique Te Parapara Garden is of great cultural importance and a source of pride, knowledge and understanding for national and international visitors and empirical and academic researchers.

Craft and Legacy of the Traditional Woodcarvings of Adiguru Kraf, Allahyarham Wan Mustafa Wan Su

The art and craft of traditional Malay woodcarving may be forgotten by the modern generation. Consequently, it would gradually become an extinct craft in Malaysia if without effort to save its legacy. This paper aims to uncover traditional woodcarving's art and craft heritage and its visual attributes and craftsmanship in the works of a master craftsman, Allahyarham Wan Mustafa Wan Su, who was actively involved in the craft industry before he passed away in 2019. Traditional Malay wood carving is synonymous with the Malay heritage, especially in the Northern Eastern states of Peninsula Malaysia. Safeguarding of this intangible heritage is crucial after the departure of the master craftsman, who had contributed a lot to the woodcarving industry. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to analyse his works concerning his crafts and styles of craftsmanship. His opinions that served as inferential evidence were obtained through a face-to-face interview conducted within an informal setting. The semi-structured conversation focused on the craft and craftsmanship of woodcarving, with particular emphasis on the visual attributes and technique used. Observation and photographic documentation of his works were necessary measures to complement the interviews. Hence, this paper also addresses the examination of the woodcarvings produced by the master, which exemplifies his distinctive craftsmanship. The research founds that additional values, including artistic and design skills, further enrich the products of the master carver, which not only provide a stimulus for admiration but also serve as valuable references for the present and future generation of woodcarvers. Thus, from this research, the knowledge about woodcarving could spread for further research to ensure the future survival of the craft heritage.

The Beauty of Malay Woodcarving Motif Ornamentation

Woodcarving art has been bequeathed throughout the generations until present time and is a hidden heritage gem. The aim of this research was to interpret the motif of Malay woodcarving ornamentation. This was done by scrutinizing the golden proportion in the structural design of Malay woodcarving and elucidating the Malay aesthetic elements and fundamental principles of the new motif design in contemporary artwork. This research revolved around a master carver who with his own eccentric style incorporates the Malay aesthetic elements and principles into his work. In order to understand the intricate motifs of woodcarving artwork, it is vital to look at the structural motifs. Referring to Malay Arts such as Nakula, Abdullah Mohamed and Awan Larat Philosophy, each motif interpretation has its own distinctive meaning. This can serve as a guideline for any associated artwork fields, especially for an artist to create a new design by implementing depth and meaning into the whole artwork, while keeping the distinct Malay identity.
 Keywords: motif, Malay woodcarving, meaning

NORTHWEST COAST AND ALASKA NATIVE ART by Christopher PatrelloChristoph Heinrich

310 OHQ vol. 122, no. 3 REVIEWS NORTHWEST COAST AND ALASKA NATIVE ART by Christopher Patrello foreword by Christoph Heinrich University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, 2020. Illustrations, maps, bibliography, 100 pages. $10.95 paper. This elegant guide is intended to accompany the recently redesigned galleries of Northwest Coast and Alaska Native art at the Denver Art Museum (DAM), which feature selections from the museum’s magnificent collection of historical and contemporary Native American art. Author Christopher Patrello, an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow in American Indian Art, was part of the team that redesigned and reinstalled the galleries, along with John P. Lukavic, DAM’s Curator of Native Arts. The book is appropriately dedicated to the late Nancy Blomberg who, as lead curator for Native Arts at DAM from 1990 until her too-early death in 2018, built on the museum’s long-standing reputation as a center for the appreciation of Indigenous art as fine art, rather than as “craft.” Northwest Coast and Alaska Native Art is written for a general, museum-going audience, and while the narrative corresponds with key groupings in the gallery, the book will be of interest even to those who are not able to visit the DAM in person. Patrello provides a brief overview of the Northwest Coast as a world art region, focusing on how social organization , ecosystems, art, and ceremony intersect. Each thematic section is introduced by a short explanatory text and followed by a first-person statement by a contemporary Northwest Coast or Alaska Native artist that elaborates on the section’s theme. At the beginning of the first section, “Sharing Knowledge,” Jaad Kuujus (Meghann O’Brien) emphasizes the intergenerational and multidisciplinary processes involved in learning to weave. Starting the book with weaving arts is commendable, as it places the art form most associated with women front and center, rather than on the margins. The section also includes work by Kwakwaka’wakw master carvers. The next section, “Tangible and Symbolic Wealth,” focuses on how the value of art within Northwest Coast communities is produced through ritual use, relationships, and reciprocity across a wide range of media. Marianne Nicolson (Kwakwaka’wakw) introduces the section with a carefully researched account of the “Welcome Figure” commissioned by Chief Johnny Scow around 1914 and its intended message of resistance to theft of Kwakwaka’wakw lands by white settlers. The third section, “Art and Language,” similarly covers a wide range of media from carvings to glass to button blankets and addresses the visual language of Northwest Coast art. American art historian Bill Holm (1925–2020) described Northwest Coast design elements such as these as “formline” (as well as other terms) in his highly influential 1965 publication (Holm 1965). In what may be the most important contribution to Northwest Coast and Alaska Native Art, artist Gwaii Edenshaw (Haida) discusses in a lead essay how artists are exploring Haida language terms, including the grammatical category of “Shape Classifiers,” to develop non-English-language nomenclature for Northwest Coast design elements. The “Alaska” section focuses on the theme of reciprocity among people, land, and the animals who share it, and is organized into two components : Honoring the Land and Honoring the Hunt. An interview with Sonya Kelliher-Combs (Inupiaq/Athabascan), renowned mixed-media artist who works with skin as a medium, anchors the section by reflecting on moving beyond oppositions of traditional and contemporary and toward recognizing the inseparable relationship between humans and all existence. The section is illustrated with a wide array of media, from whale bone and walrus ivory carvings to baleen baskets to wooden masks and marine mammal-skin garments. With a glossary and list of titles for further reading, this slim volume is accessible for readers new to Northwest Coast and Alaska 312 OHQ vol. 122, no. 3 art as well as instructive for curators and other interpreters of Indigenous arts about how to integrate voices of contemporary artists into museum publications. Rebecca J. Dobkins Willamette University STRUGGLE ON THE NORTH SANTIAM: POWER AND COMMUNITY ON THE MARGINS OF THE AMERICAN WEST by Bob H. Reinhardt Oregon State University Press, Corvallis 2020. Illustrations, maps, notes, bibliography, index. 232 pages. $29.95 paper. The natural beauty...

FESPACO and Its Many Afterlives

FESPACO and Its Many Afterlives Sheila Petty (bio) When thinking of practices for cultural decolonization—current and future challenges to FESPACO and its mission to address and exhibit the cinematographic representation of African peoples on the continent and diaspora—I am reminded of something that Chinua Achebe once wrote: "Art must interpret all human experience, for anything against which the door is barred can cause trouble."1 From this perspective, the power of African filmmakers' contributions to the treasure trove of world cinema lies in the depth and breadth of creativity and innovation since the beginning of film production by Africans on the continent. This work has the capacity to alter the course of history as fundamentally as any advance in science, engineering, or industry. Indeed, in 1989, Filippe Sawadogo, then Secretary General of FESPACO, proclaimed that "the cinema of the world needs an African cinema which can bring new life thanks to its cultural richness. … It stands when other works lose their breath from lack of originality."2 What Sawadogo is referring to is the sustainability of a festival that has endured for more than fifty years through major upheavals on the continent, including local and global political and economic influences and the pop-ups of more recent (albeit smaller in scope) African film festivals on the continent and in the diaspora, especially specialty festivals such as Festival Issni N'Ourgh International du Film Amazighe in Agadir, etc. Much has been written about the systemic difficulties and recurring organizational problems that beleaguer the festival: transportation, lodging, sponsorship, subtitling and language versioning, accreditation, and badges. For example, during the 1991 edition, I sat at a manual typewriter in the FESPACO office and typed out name badges for many of us at the opening of the festival, although we had all sent in our accreditation forms and photos well in advance. Despite all these issues, FESPACO's gift to the world of cinema and visual culture is that it has always provided the richest form of "afterlife" possible. The network of filmmaker-film-spectator is paramount to building communities and social networks off-screen in local communities and throughout the diaspora. According to Haida artist and master carver Bill Reid, an [End Page 276] artwork/film's "real life" is the process through which it becomes a work, but its "afterlife"3 is constructed during readings of and engagement with the work through shared participation in local and diasporic cultural manifestations. FESPACO's Traveling Digital Cinema, which provides free open-air screenings to neighborhoods in Ouagadougou and to nine other cities and towns in Burkina Faso, is an afterlife case in point—where the wealth of the festival is shared by the people, with the people, as local film critics lead debates with the audiences following the screenings. Another FESPACO afterlife gift is the International Market for Cinema and Audiovisuals (MICA). Established in 1983 to answer a call to action during the 1982 Niamey Congress, MICA opened its doors to FESPACO festivalgoers in 1989 to encourage exchanges between producers, directors, distributors, and TV-buyers and the diffusion of the richness and plurality of African cultures around the globe.4 It seems, however, that thirty years later, MICA "does not yet organize English language screenings for international buyers, as is done in more established festivals."5 Olivier Barlet makes a salient point here. Indeed, what should the festival's official language be as Indigenous languages increasingly stake out more prominent space in cultural manifestations? And on a continental level, this seems almost overwhelming to surmount. Yet, perhaps it is FESPACO's "openness and accessibility" compared to other festivals, and the "generosity of the filmmakers" who take the time to meet industry professionals and scholars alike, that softens the edges of this frustrating situation.6 MICA, and the generosity of industry professionals exhibiting their films, videos, and television programs, made it possible for me as a scholar to research the circulation of ideas and aesthetics in global television in the 1990s. To be sure, feature films and their prize categories have dominated FESPACO since its inception. Yet, many lauded filmmakers who began their careers making feature-length films transitioned to television and have...

Abstract pattern on stone fragments from Applecross

Eighteen early medieval carved stone fragments (Applecross 5.1–5.18) were recently recovered from Applecross, Wester Ross, Scotland, a site that functioned as an important ecclesiastical centre in the early medieval period. These 18 fragments join a pre-existing collection of monuments and other carved stones at Applecross, including three fragments (Applecross 1, 2 and 3) that together likely belonged to the same cross-slab. Both the Applecross slab (Applecross 1–3) and the newly discovered fragments are decorated with relief-carved, geometric ornament common to early medieval Britain and Ireland, including interlace, key and step patterns, and are of exceptional workmanship. This paper presents a comparative analysis of the patterns, which reveals that at least 16 of the 18 new fragments also belonged to the same monument as Applecross 1–3. In particular, the author has applied a new, artist-focused, artwork-centred approach to the study of key pattern and its structure, drawn from her doctoral research of this type of ornament. Through close physical analysis of the internal symmetry of individual spiral units and the negative (carved-out) lines in these key patterns, it is possible to identify where the new fragments were located on the Applecross monument, as well as their orientation within it. Furthermore, detailed analysis of the patterns’ negative lines confirms that Applecross was linked to Nigg and likely also to Rosemarkie – two contemporary, high-status, Pictish ecclesiastical sites in Easter Ross – and that a single carver or team produced stone sculpture in all three places. The Nigg cross-slab and Rosemarkie’s collection of carved stones are widely recognised as amongst the finest in the Pictish corpus, and the Applecross fragments rival them in their supreme, virtuoso quality. This is the first concrete evidence for a single Pictish artistic hand on multiple artworks – a master carver or expert team whose oeuvre spanned both Easter and Wester Ross and who created some of the greatest surviving art-historical monuments in Britain.

Decorative Elements of Traditional Malay House: Comparative Study of Rumah Limas Bumbung Perak (RLBP) and Rumah Limas Johor (RLJ)

In traditional Malay architecture, decorative elements are defined as non-structural elements and as “additional member” of the building that contributes to aesthetic and functional aspects of the architecture. Its ornamentation, form and pattern particularly in woodcarving and bamboo weaving reflect the uniqueness of local craftsmanship and the master carvers. There are at least 16 (sixteen) decorative elements of the traditional Malay house that have been identified by previous researcher. Architecturally in Malaysia traditional houses were categorised based on roof design, spatial organization and geographical setting which finally this categorization was named after the states. Each traditional house is in the state of Malaysia signifying particular style and architectural characteristics of that particular state. This article discusses the study of those decorative elements on the traditional Malay houses in the state of Perak known as Rumah Limas Bumbung Perak (RLBP) and traditional house from the state of Johor known as Rumah Limas Johor (RLJ). With the objective is to investigate the type, terms and characteristics of decorative elements site observations were done on selected twenty-five (25) of RLBP houses and another twenty-five (25) of RLJ houses. The analysis on visual data and verbal data were carried out to established architectural terminology and typology based on form and style of every decorative element. The study found that nine (9) decorative elements come to be the major characteristics of RLBP whilst seven (7) for RLJ; some with different name, form and style from other states. These similarity and dissimilarity contribute to the extension of the aesthetical theory and philosophy of the Malay traditional house in Malaysia.

Effigy pipes of the Lower Mississippi Valley: Iconography, style, and function

Based on formal analysis of a large corpus of Mississippian effigy pipes, the distinctive Bellaire style is here defined. Native to the Lower Mississippi Valley, this style encompasses multiple themes, the two most common being an underwater panther and a crouching human. The style dates ca. AD 1100–1500 and can be further divided into two substyles, Bellaire A and Bellaire B, that likely represent change through time. We argue that the more elaborate pipes were made by master carvers, and were commissioned by religious practitioners who used them in shamanic rituals that engaged with Beneath-World powers. There can now be little doubt that the Lower Mississippi Valley was home to a considerable body of representational art during Mississippian times, one that has long been overlooked.

Carving a contemporary replica of the 1769 ‘Joseph Banks’ panel using pre-steel tools: reviving a traditional Māori carving technique

In this article, the author explores previously lost techniques and practices associated with reproducing a New Zealand Māori wood carving of a poupou (panel) that was collected by Joseph Banks in October 1769 from a partly-constructed house on Pourewa Island, Tolaga Bay (Ūawa), North Island. The original poupou, a rare Māori artefact that pre-dates European influence, is curated today in the University Museum, Tübingen. A conference in Oslo, Norway, in 2014, provided the author, a tohunga whakairo (master carver), with the opportunity to demonstrate the use of Māori pre-steel tools, notably pounamu (greenstone) and argillite toki (adzes), greenstone and toroa whao (albatross bone chisels), and hardwood tā (carving mallets). The unique, historically inspired and practice-led empirical research undertaken in carving the poupou has helped to recover previously lost indigenous wood-carving knowledge. The replica poupou, carved in totara ( Podocarpus totara) and coated in kokowai (ochre), was subsequently completed at, and donated to, the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum in Middlesbrough, UK. The empirical approach to this research required detailed analysis as well as experimental archaeology and ethnography. The carving of the poupou honours the legacy of one of the most famed Māori carving centres and traditional higher schools of learning of pre-European times, namely Te Rāwheoro.

Māori Issues

Māori Issues Margaret Mutu The 2017 general election delivered twenty-nine members of Parliament of Māori descent, twenty of whom are in government, with eight of those becoming ministers. Māori also featured in sporting successes, especially women's rugby and men's softball. At the same time, racism against Māori became more blatant as decisions to allow Māori to have their own representation in local government were all successfully overturned. Māori continue to be disproportionately impacted by the effects of poverty in stark contrast to the Pākehā (European) population, which enjoys relative affluence. That drew criticism [End Page 202] yet again from two United Nations treaty bodies as Māori continue to be denied our rights under both Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Since coming to power in late 2017, the new government has appeared to be more caring than the last, but little has changed for the large number of Māori struggling to survive in increasingly harsh socioeconomic conditions while still trying to protect our natural resources from overexploitation. Before reviewing these issues, we will pause to remember a number of leaders we lost during this period, all of whom spent their lives fighting to achieve justice for Māori. Ngāi Tahu of Te Waipounamu (the South Island) lost some well-loved and widely respected elders and leaders. Trevor Howse passed away in May 2017. He helped organize and drive Ngāi Tahu's treaty claim behind the scenes, collating a vast amount of the information that was presented to the Waitangi Tribunal. He was also part of the Ngāi Tahu team that spearheaded the negotiation process and resulted in one of the biggest treaty claims settlements to date (Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu 2014). So too was Kuao Langsbury, who passed away in October. He first took a leadership role in Ngāi Tahu in 1961 when he was elected the chair of Ōtākou Rūnanga at the age of twenty-five (Waatea News 2017a). Then in January 2018 it was the gentle elder, leader, and Māori language, culture, and history teacher Kukupa Tirikātene. He provided advice and support for Ngāi Tahu's leadership and contributed to the recovery of their dialect of the Māori language. Tirikātene came from a family of long-serving members of Parliament. His father, Sir Eruera, his sister, Whetū (Tirikātene-Sullivan), and his nephew, Te Rino, have all served as members of Parliament for the Southern Māori or Te Tai Tonga electorate (Waatea News 2018b). Artist, teacher, master carver, and heritage advocate Dr Cliff Whiting of Te Whānau a Apanui passed away in July 2017. He worked on a number of modern-day meetinghouses including the spectacular Te Hono ki Hawaiki on Rongomaraeroa Marae at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Te Kupenga o Te Mātauranga at Palmerston North Teachers' College, Maru Kaitatea on Takahanga Marae in Kaikoura, and Tahu Pōtiki on Te Rau Aroha Marae in Bluff. He also undertook large-scale murals for a number of government buildings including the New Zealand MetService, the National Library of New Zealand, and the Christchurch High Court (Hunt 2017). Strong, outspoken, yet gentle Māori rights advocate Nuki Aldridge of Ngāpuhi passed away in November 2017. His expertise and knowledge of northern history was legend, particularly that relating to the formation of the collective of leaders, Te Whakaminenga o Ngā Hapū o Nu Tireni, who were responsible for the country's first constitutional document, the 1835 He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni, or the declaration of hapū (grouping of extended families) sovereignty often referred to in English as the Declaration of Independence. Nuki was a key witness in the hearings of the Waitangi Tribunal on the mid-northern claims. The tribunal went on to issue in 2014 its [End Page 203] groundbreaking findings that Ngāpuhi did not cede sovereignty to the British when they signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi in 1840. New Zealand's constitutional arrangements and parliamentary institutions have all been built on the...

Decorative Elements of Traditional Malay Houses: Case Study of Rumah Limas Bumbung Perak (RLBP)

The existence of decorative elements in traditional Malay houses represents the integration between functionalism and aesthetics of architecture. Its ornamentation, form and pattern particularly in woodcarving and bamboo weaving reflect the uniqueness of local craftsmanship and the master carvers. Defined as non-structural and “additional” member of the building there are at least 15 (fifteen) decorative elements of the traditional Malay house that have been identified by previous researcher. There are Tunjuk Langit, Sisik Naga, Sulur Bayung, Ande-Ande, Pemeleh, Kepala Cicak, Tiang Gantung, Lebah Bergantung, Kekisi, Gerbang, Gerbang Pintu Sesiku Keluang, Pagar Musang, Kepala Pintu and Kepala Tingkap. Architecturally in Malaysia traditional houses were categorised based on roof design, spatial organization and geographical setting which finally this categorization were named after the states. Every traditional house in the state of Malaysia signifying particular style and architectural characteristics of that particular state. This article discusses the study of those decorative elements on the traditional Malay houses in the state of Perak known as Rumah Limas Bumbung Perak (RLBP). With the objective is to investigate the type, terms and characteristics of decorative elements site observations were done on selected thirty (30) RLBP houses located along Sungai Perak. Sungai Perak is the second longest river in peninsula Malaysia recognised as the site of early Malay settlement in Perak. The analysis on visual data and verbal data were carried out to established architectural terminology and typology based on form and style of every decorative element. The study found that nine (9) decorative elements come to be the major characteristics of RLBP; some with different name, form and style from other states. These similarity and dissimilarity contributes to the enrichment of the aesthetical theory and philosophy of the Malay traditional house in Malaysia.

An early seventeenth-century Gunpowder Plot monument and a portrait relief of James I in the Queen’s House at the Tower of London

The timber-framed Queen’s House that nestles in a corner of the Tower of London’s Inner Ward is a little-known building. A top-floor room known as the Council Chamber contains an extraordinary wall-mounted monument erected in 1608 that commemorates the failure of the Gunpowder Plot. Alongside it is a carved portrait of King James I in half relief. This article explores these two remarkable objects for the first time and argues that the undated portrait relief may be contemporary with the monument, and may be a previously unrecognized carving by the King’s Master Carver Maximilian Colt (fl. 1595–1645). The article further suggests that the Council Chamber was created as a room in which to interrogate prisoners, and argues that the portrait relief and the monument were part of a carefully designed interior scheme that was intended to act as a tool of interrogation.

Prilog poznavanju djelovanja Mateja Andrijina Moronzona*

Matteo Moronzon, a member of the Venetian family of woodcarvers, was mentioned for the first time in 1407 according to the present known archival documents. Probably after being trained in his father's workshop in Venice, he moved to Zadar with his family – his wife Francisca and sons Pietro and Francesco. In 1418 he undertook the commission of furnishing carved choir stalls for the cathedral of St. Anastasia in Zadar. Various archival documents testify that Matteo lived and worked in Zadar for many years. Therefore it can be assumed that he probably founded his own workshop in Zadar where his son Francesco was trained too. Apart from the attempt to reconstruct Matteo's life and career, the aim of this paper is to interpret one important woodcarving work of art preserved in situ: choir stalls in the former cathedral of Rab, today the arch parish church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Rab. Without doubt Matteo was the master carver in the production of the choir stalls in Zadar. Since he lived in Zadar it was not unusual that he had the main role in carving the stalls. In Zadar the selection of motives is more balanced and there are no significant differences in the modelling of decorative elements. However, the question whether Matteo carved absolutely everything or he had assistants arises. Considering the amount of work that had to be done it must be assumed that he had assistants who participated in work and helped him to shape the stalls. However, in literature Matteo was considered the only and undisputed author of the choir stalls in Zadar, mostly because of the preserved document. The analysis of the choir stalls in Rab by Ivo Petricioli as well as their evident formal and stylistic similarities with the stalls from the cathedral in Zadar have led to the general acceptance of the hypothesis that they were carved at the workshop of Matteo Moronzon. However, a comprehensive comparative analysis that could confirm that hypothesis was still missing. The analysis of the details and the whole led to the overall conclusion that there were a huge number of similarities between the choir stalls in Rab and Zadar. Therefore it was concluded that Matteo was the principal designer of the choir stalls in Rab who also carved the best parts in Rab, while others, less successful parts, were made by his apprentices and assistants who at the time lived on the island of Rab. In this respect, if Matteo was accepted as the author of the choir stalls of the cathedral in Zadar he must also be accepted as the author of the choir stalls from the excathedral in Rab.

Cover Image, Volume 7, Issue 1

The cover image, by James D. Ford et al., is based on the Overview “Community‐based adaptation research in the Canadian Arctic,” DOI 10.1002/wcc.376.Lukie Airut, a seventy‐year‐old master carver and hunter from the Igloolik region of Nunavut, stands on an ice flow hunting walrus in the summer of 2012. Inuit in the Canadian Arctic are on the frontline of climate change adaptation as the region is warming double the global average which profoundly impacts social‐economic, cultural and biophysical systems. image

Transforming an Edwardian boarding house into an urban marae at Auckland University College in 1954

In writing the history of art in Aotearoa/New Zealand, much attention has been focussed on the exhibitions and activities of painters and sculptors of the Māori Renaissance in the 1950s. Equally significant was the impetus given to reviving customary crafts through the Adult Education movement associated with the University of Auckland. The Maori Social and Economic Advancement Act of 1945 positioned the responsibility for preservation, revival and maintenance of "Māori arts, crafts, language, genealogy and history" with iwi, and led to the formation of the Maori Women's Welfare League in September 1951, with its agenda to perpetuate women's skills in Māori arts and crafts, and for these to be practised within an architectural context.
 A Māori advisory committee was established in the Adult Education Centre at Auckland University College in 1945, tasked with mitigating Māori urban alienation through the teaching of Māori arts and cultural history to establish "pride of race and cultural achievement." In 1949, the first tutor for the Maori Adult Education Extension Programme was appointed, Maharaia Winiata (1912-60), followed by a graduate of the Rotorua School of Māori Arts and Crafts, Master carver Henare Toka (Ngāti Whatua) and his wife Mere. They recruited students from the Auckland University College Māori Club and pupils from Māori secondary schools to decorate the entrance hall of Sonoma House, 21 Princes Street, with kōwhaiwhai and tukutuku. Thus an Edwardian building was reborn as the University's Adult Education Centre, and was acclaimed for its biculturalism in the spring issue of Te Ao Hou in 1954.
 Now 60 years old, the tukutuku panels have been preserved by present day Deputy Vice Chancellor Jim Peters in the ground floor of the University's Clocktower following the disestablishment of Adult Education. Seven of these tukutuku panels have recently undergone extensive conservation treatment, and they are recognised as highly significant examples of twentieth century weaving, exemplifying the approach to reviving customary tukutuku at mid-century in terms of the materials and techniques as well as patterns: muumuu, or purapura whetuu roimata toroa), waharua koopito, whakarua koopito, niho taniwha and nihoniho. They have now gone on display in pride of place in the University Clocktower. This paper will contextualise the changing meaning of these tukutuku panels from interior décor to historic design within the evolving narrative of customary Māori weaving practices.

Još o romaničkoj skulpturi s dubrovačke katedrale

Još o romaničkoj skulpturi s dubrovačke katedrale

Još o romaničkoj skulpturi s dubrovačke katedrale

The article analyses and discusses the numerous sculptural fragments which belonged to the monumental and tragically destroyed Romanesque Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin at Dubrovnik. Although neglected and waiting to be thoroughly catalogued, our current knowledge about this material does provide a fuller picture about their chronology and the Apulian master carvers who made them. The article focuses on the archival information about these masters and outlines direct formal analogies with the sculptures from the other side of the Adriatic. Particular attention is given to the work of protomagister Eustasius of Trani who was active in the early twelfth century, while emphasizing the work of his fellow Apulian Pasquo di Pietro as a potential protagonist in the maturation of the Romanesque style on both sides of the southern Adriatic up until the late duecento. Following the comparative analysis of the sculptural material from Dubrovnik, the article examines the work of sculptor Simeonus Ragusinus in Barletta and ends with a conclusion about the similarities between the visual culture of south Dalmatia and that of Apulia, as two peripheral regions of Western art.