Gable Ornament

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Culture Māori

Title Gable Ornament (Tekoteko)

Date 18th–19th century

Medium Wood

Dimensions Object: 14 7/8 × 3 5/8 × 2 5/8 in. (37.8 × 9.2 × 6.7 cm)
Overall (includes mount): 15 3/8 × 4 5/16 × 3 3/16 in. (39.1 × 11 × 8.1 cm)

Credit Line Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 66.75

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About this Work

This tekoteko or gable figure would have stood at the apex of the roof of either a Māori meetinghouse or storehouse. Māori meetinghouses and storehouses are made of intricately carved wood. Believed to represent an ancestor or a mythological figure, tekoteko beckoned visitors into the entryway of the building.

Provenance
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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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Cite this Page
"Gable Ornament | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=66.75