This putorino has an interesting story. Was on sale in a public auction in 2009. Did a trip up to check it out and thought it was peculiar that there was no bore through the end. Checked out the Te Papa museum files and discovered it was actually from the museum collection, ME001921, made by James Little, an antique dealer in England who specialised in fakes. The putorino was acquired by the museum around 1910, from Major Horatio Robley. His work has been purchased, knowingly and unknowingly, by many major collectors and museums. International auction houses still circulate his fakes, omitting or ignorant to his deception. We managed to stop the sale of this item and it was returned to Te Papa.
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 03:17:12 +0000