Online catalogue for the 66th tribal art auction

41 Drum "kundu"

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea, Asmat

wood, dark brown patina, hourglass-shaped corpus, carved with a handle and incised geometrical ornaments, the lower chamber of resonance open, reptile drum skin on top, spread with resin for tuning, the "glue" between reptile skin and wood is a mixture of human blood (from the lateron owner of the drum) and chalk of snails and mussels, the rotan-ring renewed, slightly dam.

H: 49 cm
H: 19.3 inch

Price: 450 - 900 €

42 Ancestor skull "ndambirkus"

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea, Asmat

human skull, reddish brown patina, the lower jawbone tightly attached to the skull by a woven rattan band, the eye-sockets filled with beeswax, inserted with the grey seeds of Job's-tears grass and the red seeds of the crab's eye vine, the nose embellished with a head-hunter's "bipane", a spiral shell nose-ornament, large plant fibre earrings with feather tassels, headband with coix-seeds and cockatoo feathers, good condition, on metal base; the basic themes of Asmat culture are head-hunting and ancestor worship. Their ceremonial life is chiefly aimed at appeasing the spirits of the dead, which is why skulls of treasured ancestors"ndambirkus" were such elaborately embellished like the present one. The importance of captured heads in traditional Asmat life is clearly demonstrated by the role they played in male initiation. It was impossible for boys to become men without taking a head. A man's vital strength is said to be particularly present in the skull, and the life force of another provided the energy necessary for a boy to make the jump to manhood.

L: 23 cm
L: 9.1 inch

Provenance
Private Collection, South Germany

Literature
Smidt, Dirk, Asmat Art, Leiden 1993, p. 21
Meyer, Anthony J.P., Ozeanische Kunst, Vol. I, Köln 1995, p. 84

Sold.

43 Sago storage jar "damarau"

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea - Chambri Sea, Aibom Village

fired reddish clay, black and white pigment, modelled birds head with projecting beak and concentric eyes, labelled "257", dam. (rims), rep. (beak); in the Chambri Area, the Iatmul speaking village of Aibom forms the artistic center of Middle Sepik pottery. The Aibom potters produce a most amazing array of decorated, functional pots which are traded all over the area for salt, fish and raw material such as shells.

H: 28,5 cm
H: 11.2 inch

Provenance
collected in situ, 1977

Literature
Meyer, Anthony J.P., Ozeanische Kunst, Vol. I, Köln 1995, p. 261, ill. 291

Price: 150 - 300 €

44 Ancestor figure

This object is not available any more.

Papua-Neuguinea - Geelvink / Cenderawasih-Bai

wood, dark brown patina, stylized figure with elongated legs and symmetrical arranged arms, egg-shaped head with turquoise glass bead eyes, slightly dam., minor missing parts, cracks, on metal plate; "korvar" is the name used to describe the art of the geographical and cultural area of the Vogelkop Peninsula, in north-west Irian Jaya. The name is taken not from a cultural group but from a specific type of sculpture called "korvar", which are figurative representations of an ancestor. Possibly present figure comes from the Macluer Golf or southwest Vogelkop area, because it is carved in a simple and stylized manner. "Korvar" provide a link between the worlds of the dead and the living. As in most Oceanic cultures, the ancestor is consulted for advice and help in all major matters: during preparation for war, to find outh if the fishing will be good, to make or stop rain, to ward off bad magic etc.

H: 82 cm
H: 32.3 inch

Provenance
Private Collection, Austria
Private Collection, Dallas, USA

Literature
Meyer, Anthony J.P., Ozeanische Kunst, Vol. I, Köln 1995, p. 55 f.

Price: 6000 - 12000 €

45 Ancestor board "gope"

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea - Golf

wood, red and white pigment, large oval board, carved with three stylized mask faces and scrolled ornaments with raised contours, slightly dam., missing part at the lower rim, traces of insect caused damage; collected in situ in the small village of Aime by W. G. Schulz, who visited Papua New Guinea between 1945 and 1973. According to his documentation the piece was carved by "Aiahe Agau" and was kept in the clan section of the mens house. Schulz wrote, that unusually the piece was not carved from an old canoe and that it was not smoked with fire or soot, which is why the delicate carving and the clearness of the fine design is preserved much better than is the case with many other gope boards of the same time. There are three types of ancestral tablet or "gope" board. The most important is the large "darimo ebiha", of which only one exists for each clan. These are stored under the roof of the Men's House and are never shown. For each new cycle of initiation (about every six years), the old "darimo ebiha" is burned and a new one is carved. Second, and of less importance, are the personal "gope" boards, which are owned by individuals. These represent named ancestors and are stored at the entrance to the clan cubicle in the communal Men's House. Finally, young boys have small "gope" boards which are unnamed ahd which hang on the wall of their homes.

H: 171 cm
H: 67.3 inch

Provenance
Coll. William G. Schulz, Los Angeles, USA

Literature
Meyer, Anthony J.P., Ozeanische Kunst, Vol. I, Köln 1995, p.117

Sold.

46 Ancestor board "gope"

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea - Golf, Wapo Creek

wood, greyish brown patina, white pigment, lancet-shaped, slightly vaulted, carved with two stylized mask faces and scrolled ornaments, dam., missing parts, paint rubbed off, traces of old age; the convex form of the "gope" is based on the fact that they were often cut from old canoe boards.

H: 161 cm
H: 63.4 inch

Provenance
Mia van Bussel, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Price: 5000 - 10000 €

47 Painted war shield "wörrumbi"

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea - Southern Highlands, Mendi Valley, Ialibu, Maral or Kalpine Village

wood, dark brown patina, painted in white and yellow ochre, decorated with painted ring-shaped and triangular motifs, plant fibre handle backside, rep. (crack fixed with rattan strings), missing part

H: 114 cm
H: 44.9 inch

Provenance
collected in situ, 1977

Literature
Meyer, Anthony J.P., Ozeanische Kunst, Vol. I, Köln 1995, ill. 339

Sold.

48 Painted war shield

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea - Southern Highlands, Mendi Valley, Ialibu, Maral or Kalpine Village

wood, painted in black and reddish brown, white and turquoise pigment, slightly vaulted, plant fibre handle backside, dam., missing parts (rim, frontside), cracks

H: 108 cm
H: 42.5 inch

Provenance
collected in situ, 1977

Sold.

49 Painted war shield "wörrumbi"

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea - Southern Highlands, Mendi Valley, Ialibu, Maral or Kalpine Village

wood, painted in reddish brown and black, traces of white pigment, of flat and oval form with a raised vertical middle ridge, decorated with geometrical ornaments, remains of a plant fibre handle on the back, slightly dam.; commonly used in pitched battles between clans.

H: 121 cm
H: 47.6 inch

Provenance
collected in situ, 1977

Literature
Barbier, Jean Paul, Benitez-Johannot, P., Shields, München, London, New York 2000, p. 212

Sold.

50 Arrows

This object is not available any more.

Papua New Guinea - Southern Highlands, Hewa

group of 20 pieces, 11 arrows with bamboo shaft and tip, wooden middle section, ornamental carved and dyed with red and white pigment, fixed by grass fibre cuffs and cord material; 3 arrows with bamboo shaft and bone tips, intact fixing by mortising, grass fibre cuffs and blackish tar-like mass; 1 fish spear with a forked bamboo tip; 4 arrows of various length and material, (nippa palm wood, orchid bast)

L: 105 cm - 142 cm
L: 41.3 inch - 55.9 inch

Provenance
collected in situ, 1977

Sold.