A good Charlie Wilson carved inanga greenstone hei tiki, pale/mid-green colourway, finely detailed with the head turned to the right shoulder, ears evident, inlaid paua shell ring eyes, left hand to the chest, the right to the right thigh, mildly concave back. Note: Charles Raponi Wilson has been carving since the 1960s and is recognised as a leading carver of hei tiki, drawing inspiration from ancestral taonga. In 2009 he was commissioned by New Zealand Post along with other leading New Zealand artists to carve a hei tiki to feature on its annual Matariki stamp series. In 2010 his design was selected to feature on New Zealand’s most valuable legal tender coin - the 1oz. gold coin, this hei tiki offered being a companion to that carving. Length 10.5 cm