Wheku wall art panel

Description:

Wheku wall art panel - carved face

 Stylish Māori wall art panel that will look good in anyone's home or office. The wall art comes with sturdy gift box with koru design and protective foam.

Meaning of wheku - carved face

It is important to note that the figures in Māori carving, with rare exceptions, are not religious, but secular. They do not represent idols, but renowned tipuna (ancestors) of the iwi (tribe).

The Wheku, as found at the apex of the gable on the front of a large carved house, symbolises an important ancestor after who the house was named. The house itself represents his body. The sloping bargeboards being his maihi (arms), the heke (rafters) being his ribs and the inside being his poho (stomach or bosom).

The head is usually represented on its own with no part of the body visible. In old houses it is actually carved on the projecting end of the tahuhu (ridgepole), and the body of the figure will be seen on the ridgepole.

There are many tribal variations in how the head is represented. The three main styles of head in Māori carving are: the wheku, the koruru, and the ruru, each distinguished by the shape around the eyes.

Overall size:

290mm x 95mm x 10mm
(11.42"x3.74"x0.39" )

• Comes with wall mount and stand
  
  
• Description at the back of the frame

• Made from recycled NZ Rimu
  
  

New Zealand native Rimu

The majestic rimu can be found throughout New Zealand. Mature specimens grow to a height of over 60 metres (200 feet) and up to 1000 years of age. Heart rimu with a red/brown grain is one of the most beautifully figured woods in the world. A growing scarcity, fuelled by felling bans and ravenous demand has made rimu a highly sought after and priced decorative timber.