30/11/2025
One of the great publications of Polynesian Art . The Oldman Collection . Polynesian Society volume 15. Second edition 1953. Available NZ$500 (US$280,€250) William Ockleford Oldman (1879–1949) was a London-based ethnographic dealer and collector who amassed one of the most significant private collections of Polynesian and Māori artefacts in the early 20th century. Although he never traveled to the Pacific, he acquired objects through auctions, private sales, and the dispersal of colonial collections, including carved weapons, textiles, ceremonial items, and carvings from across Polynesia. In 1948, the New Zealand government purchased his Oceanic collection, comprising roughly 3,100 items, now distributed across major New Zealand museums. Oldman documented much of the collection in catalogues, including the notable Polynesian Artefacts volume, making it a vital reference for collectors, scholars, and museums worldwide.
