Carved turtle head pendant

According to Thode-Arora (2001) and the museum archival sources in Cologne, this pendant (taonga) in turtle head forms part of the Oldman collection. It was donated by the Joest/Deichmann family to Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum in Cologne. W. O. Oldman (1879–1949) was an important British collector and trader of Oceanic and African art in Europe. Although he never travelled to the Pacific, his business W. O. Oldman. Ethnographical Specimens in London between the late 1890s and 1913 (Kaeppler 2004) led to the extension of the collection in Cologne on Rapa Nui. We have not yet identified the supplier and informant of Oldman for this Rapanui artefact (investigations are ongoing).

Until 1909 this Honu taonga was in the ownership of Tina Joest (1819–1909), widow of Wilhelm Joest Sr., the uncle of Wilhelm Joest Jr. After her death, the collection was donated to the museum (RJM 1909).

Bibliography

Kaeppler, Adrianne. 2004. Appreciation and Challenge: Remarks for the Launch of the Oldman Catalogues. In: The Journal of the Polynesian Society 113 (4): 325–329.

Oldman, William O. 1939. Memoir No. 15. The Oldman Collection of Polynesian Artifacts: Instalment No. 8.  In: The Journal of Polynesian Society, Supplement to the Journal of the Polynesian Society 48 (4): 48.

Oldman, William O. 1940. Memoir No. 15. The Oldman Collection of Polynesian Artifacts: Instalment No. 9. In: The Journal of the Polynesian Society 49 (1): 51–62.

Thode-Arora, Hilke. 2001. Tapa und Tiki: Die Polynesiensammlung des Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museums. Köln: Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum.

Archival sources

Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum (RJM), Cologne, RJM 1909 27-2.

Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum (RJM), Cologne, Konvolut 1909/27.

Online sources

William Ockleford Oldman (1879–1949) collection

Joest collection - History of Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum