Lot 71B
Oceania, Papua New Guinea, East Sepik, early 20th century CE. A tall and impressive anthropomorphic carved wooden figure that stands on muscular legs with knees slightly turned outwards and short arms with hands placed upon hips at either side of his belly above his prominent penis. The elongated, oval face is elaborately adorned with cream, red, and black pigments intended to represent tattoos or face paint. Look closely at his eyes and you will see a white paisley-like motif surrounding each cowrie shell that resolves into a second eye above. In addition, the face is skillfully carved with a long straight nose and pronounced symmetrical nostrils as well as a double-ringed nose ornament above a smile. The rest of his body is painted in red hues with black ring patterns adorning his elbows and knees. Carved bead-like forms adorn his wrists and ankles. Perched atop his hair or cap is a long-beaked bird facing skyward with cowrie shell eyes, the wings and beak carved in deep relief with feathers delineated with white spots on the body and chevrons on the wings, long tailfeathers in red and white. Together, bird and man make for a wondrous ensemble! Size: 42-1/2"H.
From 1946 to 1953 James Byrnes was the first curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of History, Science and Art, which is now known as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art or LACMA. In the thirties, Byrnes had studied art in New York at the National Academy of Design, the Art Students League, and the American Artists School, where he met many artists prior to WWII. Byrnes, who served in the Navy during WWII, heard from an officer that a job was opening at the County Museum, so he left his home state of New York and moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career.
Provenance: Ex-private James Byrnes collection, acquired 1946 – 1953.
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#109951
- Condition: Beak and bird head reattached. Wood shows its age nicely with a few stable cracks and minimal losses as shown.
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| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $25,000 |