Online catalogue for the 63rd tribal art auction with special part 'wunderkammer'

141 Mask

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea - Sepik

wood, blackish brown patina, kaolin, of elongated oval form with a slightly vaulted forehead, small eyes closely flanking a bulky nose with pierced septum, slightly dam., missing parts (chin and drilled hole on the upper rim), cracks (mouth), on metal base; because of the short nose presumably depicting an ancestor, while long nosed masks used to represent spiritual beings

H: 31,5 cm
H: 12.4 inch

Provenance
Dr. F. L. Pelt, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Literature
Meyer, Anthony J.P., Ozeanische Kunst, Vol. I, Köln 1995, p. 192 f.

Price: 900 - 1800 €

142 Flute stopper

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea - Sepik

light-weighted wood, red, white and black pigment, stylized human body with tukan head, the prolonged beak enclosing the whole figure, slightly dam., paint rubbed off, on base; the great flutes are amongst the most sacred and important objects of the clan. They are the voice of the spirits and must never be seen by women or uninitiated men. The flute players are hidden during the festivities either in the "haus tambaran" or behind screens. The flutes are played in pairs; they are considered to be brother and sister, with the long one representing the male and the short one the female.

H: 51 cm
H: 20.1 inch

Provenance
Jan Lundberg, Malmö, Sweden

Literature
Meyer, Anthony J.P., Ozeanische Kunst, Vol. I, Köln 1995, p. 227

Price: 2000 - 3500 €

143 Anthropomorphic figure "loran"

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea - Lower Sepik

wood, middle brown patina, traces of black paint, an open-worked figure with elongated slender limbs and with the primary accent on the big head with beak-like prolonged nose, projecting to the ground, rising from a hornbills head, partly decorated with engraved curvilinear ornaments, slightly dam., minor missing parts, cracks, on metal base; coming from the region of the Angoram language family in the Lower Sepik area. Figures like the present are not meant as commemorative statuettes. They were rather fixed to short bamboo sticks and then taken along for masquerades. According to field research the so-called "loran" statuettes played an important role at initiation rites and were kept in the ritual house. The long beak-like nose is characteristic for the Lower Sepik area, pointing to the close connection between man and bird. For the Sepik people belief that birds carry the souls of the deceased into the other world ("sould bird").

H: 95 cm
H: 37.4 inch

Provenance
Private Collection, Denmark
Thomas Schulze, Berlin, Germany
Kim Redlich, Düsseldorf, Germany

Literature
Kelm, Heinz, Kunst vom Sepik, Band III, Berlin 1968, p. 10-12, ill. 58-65
Greub, Suzanne (Hg.), Ausdruck und Ornament, Kunst am Sepik, Bildwerde einer alten Tropenkultur in Papua-Neuguinea, Basel 1985, ill. 154
Newton, Douglas, New Guinea Art in the collection of the Museum of Primitive Art, New York 1967

Price: 15000 - 30000 €

144 Mask

This object is not available any more.

New Caledonia, Kanak

wood, reddish brown patina, traces of encrusted black paint, of narrow elongated form with knob-shaped projecting eyes, characterized by a large nose and a grimacing mouth, drilled holes on both sides with remains of real hair, slightly dam., minor missing parts around the rim (chin), hole below the mouth, paint rubbed off, on metal base; according to A. JP Meyer the exact function of these masks depends on their geographical origin: in the northern part of the main island, the mask personfies the recently deceased chief during the mortuary ceremonies and is a symbol of chiefdom in general. While in the south the mask is used to illustrate myths and perform pantomime; there it is an accessory and not a symbol. Following information accompanying one example in the Museé de l'Homme, Paris, they are often referred to as water spirit masks and called "apouema", the name of a god who was thought to live near the water. However, it has also been suggested from various sources that the masks were used by now-extinct secret societies, worn in ceremonies emphasizing social control, or danced with prior to warfare. The exaggerated size of the nose is based on the legend of "Azyu", one of the cultural heroes of northern New Caledonia. The enemies managed to kill "Azyu" and cut off his tongue and nose. He traveled to the land of the dead, where he made a mask of this type and sent it back to New Caledonia. The large nose, represents the nose he has lost.

H: 47,5 cm
H: 18.7 inch

Provenance
Hotel Drouot, Paris, France (20.10.1952)
Coll. Michel Joubert, Paris, France (associate of Charles Ratton)
Denis Ghiglia, Paris, France

Expertise
Handwritten certificate by Octavie Joubert, 27 mai 2008, Paris, France

Literature
Meyer, Anthony J.P., Ozeanische Kunst, Vol. I, Köln 1995, p. 431
Wardwell, Allen, Island Ancestors, Oceanic Art from the Masco Collection, University of Washington Press 1994, p. 154
Kasarherou, Emmanuel, Le masque Kanak, Marseille 1993

Price: 12000 - 25000 €

145 Club

This object is not available any more.

New Caledonia, Kanak

wood, shiny light brown patina, circular shaft with stepped handle zone, getting thicker to the top with mushroom-shaped clubs head, min. dam., fissures, slight traces of usage; this varnish sheen was achieved using shells and quartz fragments to rub down the grain of the wood, then smoothened with a plant rich in silicic acid.

L: 61 cm
L: 24 inch

Literature
Newton, Douglas (ed.), Arts of the South Seas, The Collection of the Musée Barbier-Mueller, München/London/New York 1999, p. 305

Price: 400 - 800 €

146 Pig charm

This object is not available any more.

Vanuatu

light-weighted stone, dyed in brown, decorated with anthropomorphic janus heads, flat base, dam., minor missing parts, rest., wooden base; pigs are the most important item of wealth throughout Melanesia, and magic is closely involved in protecting them and increasing their numbers and value. Small magical stones carved with humanoid faces such as this one are used to make pig magic.

H: 15 cm
H: 5.9 inch

Provenance
Coll. Joel Greene, San Francisco, USA
Alex Arthur, Brussels, Belgium

Literature
Meyer, Anthony J.P., Ozeanische Kunst, Vol. II, Köln 1995, p. 422
Kaufmann, Christian, Vanuatu - Kunst aus der Südsee, Basel 1997, p. 103, ill. 138

Price: 900 - 1800 €

147 Club "gata"

add to watchlist

Fidji Islands

heavy wood, middle brown patina, crowned by a bulky semi-circular vaulted head with projection to the back, the underside bark-like roughed up, the shaft wrapped up with fine plaited plant fibre strings, min. dam., fissures and traces of usage; these clubs represent the wide open jaws of the pacific Boa snake "gata". A characteristic of the finer "gata" clubs are the roughly carved parallel grooves on the upper inner side. These are deliberately made by carving with stone tools into the growing ironwood sapling before it is harvested and fashioned into a club. The sharpe edge of this club was designed to break bones.

L: 84 cm
L: 33.1 inch

Literature
Meyer, Anthony J.P., Ozeanische Kunst, Vol. II, Köln 1995, p. 473, ill. 546

Price: 1000 - 2000 €

148 Club

This object is not available any more.

Fidji Islands

wood, shiny brown patina, shaft circular in cross-section, crowned by a paddle-shaped flattened head, decorated with incised geometrical motifs, marked "Fiji Islands. H. 896 OP F9", min. dam., minor missing parts; pre contact object !

L: 89 cm
L: 35 inch

Provenance
Coll. James Thomas Hooper, Arundel, England

Literature
Newton, Douglas (ed.), Arts of the South Seas, The Collection of the Musée Barbier-Mueller, München, London, New York 1999, p. 317, ill. 7

Sold.

149 Poi pounder

This object is not available any more.

Hawaii

greyish brown heavy stone, customarily made of lava stone, slender form with bow-shaped handle and flat base, slightly dam., place of repair (?) at the handle; poi, the national dish of Hawaiians, is made from taro roots, and less often also from sweet potatoes. The taro roots are first steemed in an underground oven and then pounded by men. Women have nothing to do with its preparation. Poi pounder in the present form, reminding of a clothes iron, were used on Kaua'i.

L: 16 cm
L: 6.3 inch

Provenance
Jaap Hillenius, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Literature
Kaeppler, Adrienne L. (ed.), Old Hawaii, An ethnography of Hawaii in the 1880s based on the research and collections of Eduard Arning in the Ethnologisches Museum Berlin, Berlin 2008, p. 147 f.

Price: 600 - 1200 €

150 Flat platter

This object is not available any more.

Hawaii

light-weighted wood, reddish brown, round form, varnished on the outside, abrasion, plant fibre loop for support

D: 20,5 cm
D: 8.1 inch

Provenance
Terry Barrow, Honolulu, Hawaii
Loed van Bussel, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (1971)

Sold.