Skip to content

Booksellers & Trade Customers: Sign up for online bulk buying at trade.atlanticbooks.com for wholesale discounts

Booksellers: Create Account on our B2B Portal for wholesale discounts

A'a: A Deity from Polynesia

by Julie Adams , Steven Hooper , Maia Nuku
Save 32% Save 32%
Current price ₹534.00
Original price ₹780.00
Original price ₹780.00
Original price ₹780.00
(-32%)
₹534.00
Current price ₹534.00

Imported Edition - Ships in 12-14 Days

Free Shipping in India on orders above Rs. 500

Request Bulk Quantity Quote
+91
Book cover type: Paperback
  • ISBN13: 9780714151151
  • Binding: Paperback
  • Subject: N/A
  • Publisher: British Museum Press
  • Publisher Imprint: British Museum Press
  • Publication Date:
  • Pages: 64
  • Original Price: GBP 6.0
  • Language: English
  • Edition: N/A
  • Item Weight: 182 grams
  • BISAC Subject(s): Australian & Oceanian

This world-renowned sculpture is a unique figure in Polynesian art. An image of a deified ancestor; A'a was created sometime before 1821 on the island of Rurutu. Thirty dynamic figures stud his body; and the excellence of his craftsmanship suggests that his hollow interior once contained something of great cultural importance. Research undertaken ahead of the forthcoming exhibition revealed a small red feather lodged inside the statue and encouraged the curators to begin a range of scientific tests that had been unavailable to previous generations. Their revelations about the meaning and function of A'a are published here for the first time.
A'a has been inspiring visitors since its arrival at the Museum in 1890; as much for its dramatic backstory as for its workmanship. The missionary John Williams saved the statue from being burned; but met an untimely end himself in the course of his work. The statue was a sensation when it arrived in England and inspired artists and poets for decades - Picasso was so struck by it that he had a copy made for himself. A'a is an idol in every sense of the word; and this book aims to inspire a new audience with his story.

Adams, Julie: - Curator, Oceania, British Museum

Hooper, Steven: - Director, Sainsbury Research Unit, University of East Anglia

Nuku, Maia: - Associate Curator for Oceanic Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Trusted for over 49 years

Family Owned Company

Secure Payment

All Major Credit Cards/Debit Cards/UPI & More Accepted

New & Authentic Products

India's Largest Distributor

Need Support?

Whatsapp Us