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seal figure

human history
  • Description

    art deco style concrete garden figure, seal painted black on white base, balancing white ball on the tip of its nose. The ball is attached to a steel rod and sits in a hole in the nose of the seal.

  • Place
    New Zealand
  • Accession Number
    2016.84.1
  • Accession Date
    13 Oct 2016
  • Department

    Applied Arts and Design

seal figure 2016.84.1

Images and documents

Images

  • seal figure 2016.84.1
  • seal figure 2016.84.1
  • seal figure 2016.84.1

Artefact

  • Credit Line
    Collection of Auckland Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira, 2016.84.1
  • Public Access Text

    This concrete seal was cast from an older seal, originally purchased by the maker from a Kumeu man whose late mother had large hoard of garden ornaments from the mid-20th century. Anecdotal research suggests that seals of this kind, still seen from time to time in gardens throughout New Zealand, had a surge in popularity in 1960s.

    This seal falls into a category of design objects that, while not particularly sophisticated, will be instantly familiar to many NZ visitors. Garden ornamentation of this kind speaks to the kiwi "quarter-acre dream" and pride in the presentation of one's home.

  • Primary Maker

     Yolanda O'Neill (Maker)

  • Place
    New Zealand
  • Date
    1960s
    2010s
  • Period

    sixties

    21st century

  • Media

    concrete/inorganic material

    paint/coating (material)

  • Measurement Reading

    520mm

    300mm

    790mm

  • Classification

    Ornament, Garden

    Feature, Garden

    Site Features

    01 Built Environment Artifacts

  • Last Update
    27 Nov 2023
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