New Zealand retailer/maker?

Post by **admin** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 6:27 pm

Came across an interesting item this weekend. A deco inkwell in sterling, London hallmarks, made in the thirties. Pretty standard item, but at some point it was exported to New Zealand where a nephrite plaque with a silver Maori pictogram applique was pinned to the lid. The mark below was apparently also added at the time. Wondering if Denton of Wellington also made items from scratch or just altered imported goods for the local tourist trade.

Thanks, Tom

dmay · Post by **dmay** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 11:26 am

PN Denton was a jeweler and goldsmith in Wellington-I don't know their dates except to know that they were around in the 1930's and 1940's. They appear to have had a specialization in Maori oriented objects-the Museum of New Zealand TePapa Togarawa has an online archive that includes photos of Denton's shop and a photo of an inkwell with a Maori influence.

Post by **admin** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 12:13 pm

Dmay,
Thanks for the info. For any interested, here is a link to the Museum images.

Te Papa Museum

Regards, Tom