figur, Moai kavakava, skulptur, fotografi, photograph

Five Rapanui objects documented in frontal view. The photograph 7-401 and 7-393 were certainly taken at the National Museum of Natural History, Santiago, for they features the known objects from their collection, including the flat female figurine and a realistically-carved cowrie pendant made of wood, (that is what the strange-looking object under the stone head is). The moai kavakava figurine (no 3 from left) was there from about 1870, and, to my understanding, Vanadis expedition made the only high-quality documentation of it. This figurine was published as a drawing in 1873, then it appeared in one unpublished photograph of a modest quality (to use diplomatic wording) taken in about 1911, and at some moment after that it was forever gone. Other objects from the photograph are still in the museum collection. (email from Paul Horley 2026)

Left to right:
1) Stone crouching figurine 5515 332, face view (top left)
2) Wooden pendant 5507 324 depicting a cowrie shell (bottom left)
3) Male figurine with emphasized ribs (moai kavakava), lost in the 20th century
4) Flat female figurine (moai pa'apa'a) 5504 321
5) Stone chisel (collection number unknown), the same as in 7-256 and 7-257

The photographed objects were deposited to the Santiago Museum in 1870. All of them likely proceed from the expedition of Ignacio L. Gana (corvette O'Higgins), who anchored at Rapa Nui shores during on January 22--29, 1870.