Lot 160
Oceania, Papua New Guinea, New Ireland ca. 20th century CE. A wonderful pair of wooden sculptures, a Malagan carving and an anthropomorphic figure, both presenting expressive forms and vibrant pigments. Larger of the two, the Malagan carving displays a stylized form with 4 towering horns that rise from a giant head as he gazes forward from eyes of inlaid shell above gritted teeth and a square chin. Alternatively, the anthropomorphic figure presents realistic proportions aside from his stretched arms and long fingers, as well as his draping loin cloth. Size of largest: 5.3" W x 34" H (13.5 cm x 86.4 cm); 34.8" H (88.4 cm) on included custom stand.
New Ireland is a province of Papua New Guinea, and the art of this area centers heavily on the ritualistic and funerary aspects of their culture. Elaborate ceremonies and feasts held to honor the dead are known as "malagan" and this word is also used to describe the carved figures created for these ceremonies. The ritual feasting, carving, and performances to usher the soul of the deceased into the afterlife can last up to several years, depending on the wealth of the family sponsoring the festivities. Sometimes when deaths occurred close together, multiple families pooled resources to defray the cost of these ceremonies to simultaneously honor more than one deceased person. The sculpture's purpose was to honor the individual in an idealized way. It was not a portrait of the physical characteristics, rather it was created to demonstrate their ancestral ties, rank, and/or power through details, such as the painted headdress and pendant of this piece! Malagan provided a physical place or house for the soul to live in during the funerary ceremonies, and were handled with care, as if a living being. Once the ceremonies were concluded, the soul was thought to have left the malagan and these sculptures were discarded; either burned or left to decay, they were not reused for any future souls because of their individualized nature.
Provenance: private Tucson, Arizona, USA collection, acquired between 1950 and 1985
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#176263
- Condition: One horn of Malagan figure has been professionally reattached; other figure is intact. Both have a few stable fissures, as well light surface wear commensurate with age, as shown, but are otherwise in excellent condition with nice remaining pigments.
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