Online catalogue for the 55th tribal art auction

11 Axe blade and two stone rings

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea

blade, l: 22 cm, green nephrite-like, heavy stone, polished, lense-shaped in diameter, sharp edged, slightly dam., hairline crack; two rings of black and white stone, opening of 7 and 6,5 cm inside

Price: 400 - 600 €

12 Club with stone head

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea

wooden shaft, with reddish brown patina, disc-shaped clubs head with sharp-edged rim, of heavy, black stone, fixed by rattan cuff, slightly dam., cracks (shaft), minor missing parts (mace head), old label

L: 115 cm
L: 45.3 inch

Sold.

13 Four bone daggers

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea

each made from cassowary bone, split and sharpened, in varying designs: decorated with incised ornaments, l: 33 cm; with a plaited band for attachment at the upper arm, l: 30 cm; two exemplars with the swivel heads coated with plaited cord, strings with abrus beans and cassowary feathers affixed, l: 31,5 cm resp. 36 cm

Provenance
Coll. Menikheim, Stuttgart, Germany

Literature
Konrad, Gunter und Ursula, u.a., Asmat, Leben mit den Ahnen, Glashütten 1981, p. 107

Price: 400 - 600 €

14 Club with stone head

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea

wood, reddish brown patina, disc-shaped clubs head with two rows of burls, made of heavy, black stone, fixed by rattan cuffs, slightly dam., cracks (shaft), minor missing parts (stone head)

L: 106 cm
L: 41.7 inch

Literature
Aumann, Georg, Kunst und Kunsthandwerk aus Neu Guinea, Ausst.kat., Naturwissenschaftliches Museum Coburg 1986, p. 164, ill. 389

Sold.

15 Axe blade

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea

barrel-shaped blade of green, nephrite-like stone, polished, lense-shaped in diameter, sharp edged blade, blunt rims aside, inscribed "Enidot"

L: 24 cm
L: 9.4 inch

Price: 400 - 600 €

16 Club with stone head

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea

wooden shaft, form of the branch recognizable, bowl-shaped mace-head of heavy, black stone, fixed by rattan cuff, slightly dam., cracks (shaft)

L: 115 cm
L: 45.3 inch

Sold.

17 Stone mace-head

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea

flat wooden shaft with encrusted, dark brown patina, crowned by a heavy star-shaped mace head, dyed with red pigment, fixed by diamond-shaped rattan cuffs and strings, slightly dam., traces of insect caused damage (one side of the shaft); stone headed clubs were not only used as weapons, but should symbolize strength and power of their owner as well. They were displayed as ceremonial ornaments in the course of head hunting and initiation rites, as well as warriors masquerades.

L: 65,5 cm
L: 25.8 inch

Provenance
Ernst Heinrich, Stuttgart, Germany

Price: 400 - 600 €

18 Bone dagger

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea, Abelam

cassowary bone, polished, dark patina rubbed into the deepenings, split and sharpened, in flat relief decorated with three faces on top of each other, separated by band ornaments with notched pattern; bone daggers were stuck into a plaited band on the upper arm, they were used as weapon for hunting and for fighting. Besides of this they had ceremonial function as well, above all those, which were made of human bone.

H: 39 cm
H: 15.4 inch

Price: 900 - 1400 €

19 Bone dagger

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea, Abelam

cassowary bone, polished, dark patina rubbed into the deepenings, split and sharpened, decorated with two stylized ancestor figures, arranged opposite to each other

L: 35 cm
L: 13.8 inch

Provenance
Ernst Heinrich, Stuttgart, Germany

Price: 600 - 900 €

20 Replacement skull "kus"

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea, Asmat

wood, remains of polychrome paint, of oval form with a flattened chin, oval eyes flanking a bulky nose, a broad opened mouth below, min. dam., fissures, small missing parts; when a trophy skull was lost or destroyed, a wooden head called "kus" was carved to replace it. In later years after head-hunting was banned by the authorities, wooden heads were used at initiation ceremonies in place of real and "freshly hunted" ones. The young initiate had to kill an enemy and "take" the head before entering the adult world.

H: 16 cm
H: 6.3 inch

Provenance
Coll. Menikheim, Stuttgart, Germany

Literature
Konrad, Gunter und Ursula, u.a., Asmat, Leben mit den Ahnen, Glashütten 1981, p. 104, ill. b

Price: 500 - 750 €