Description:

Oceania, Papua New Guinea, Upper Sepik, ca. mid 20th century CE. A hand carved wood bull roarer - an aerophone in the form of a thin blade that makes a roaring (hence the name), howling sound when whirled through the air on a cord threaded through the perforation at one end. The surface is beautifully carved with abstract faces and painted with bright hues. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York curatorial team, "In Papua New Guinea, bullroarers hold a traditional place of honor in men’s ceremonial clubhouses. The Namau people of the Purari River Delta used them during funerals of important men and called them imunu viki ('weeping spirits')." Size: 4.25" W x 16.85" H (10.8 cm x 42.8 cm)

Provenance: private New Jersey, USA collection

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#143382

  • Condition: The surface is lightly weathered with some tiny hairline fissures. Light wear including some chips and nicks commensurate with age. Really nice remaining pigment.

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July 30, 2020 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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