Description:

Oceania, Papua New Guinea, Abelam tribe from the Maprik/Wosera area, ca. early 20th century CE. A massive woven mask representing an ancestor, with a huge, avian-like nose curved into a hook form. The face is painted white, with red around the eyes, on a dark brown background. The edges of the eyes bulge outward, forming empty circles inside them that give the mask a haunting appearance. Ancestor's images like this one are kept in the Haus Tambaran (an ancestor worship house with a steeply pointed roof) on special beds; they are worshiped there or appealed to for power during a ceremony. The Haus Tambaran is a specifically male space within the culture, and also relates to the yam cult that has developed around the staple crop of the people in this region. Size: 26" L x 14.25" W x 13" H (66 cm x 36.2 cm x 33 cm); 28" H (71.1 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private Newport Beach, California, USA collection

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#133536

  • Condition: Small areas of loose weave and lost pigment, mainly at the edges, but generally in very good condition.

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May 24, 2018 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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