Lot n° 133
Estimation :
10000 - 12000
EUR
Facial mask, Ramu River mouth stylistic area - Lot 133
Facial mask, Ramu River mouth stylistic area
Madang province, Papua New Guinea
Carved wood
Presumed time: early 20th century or earlier
Height: 51cm
Provenance:
- Collected in situ by Richard Aldridge, Perth
- Michael Hamson Collection. USA (m0610-2)
- Harry Tracosas Collection. USA (acquired from previous owner in 2014)
Carved masks depicting humans are ubiquitous in the material cultures of New Guinea, particularly in the eastern part of the country.
On the banks of the Sepik and Ramu rivers in eastern New Guinea, carved masks depicting stylized human faces, embodying the ancestral spirit of a clan member or a supernatural spirit, are ubiquitous. Very rarely worn.
This mask features holes in the ears and nose for the attachment of ornaments.
There is still a trace of a horizontal stick used to grip the dancer, as well as an indented protrusion at the top of the forehead, used to attach the mask to a mobile support leaning against a wall inside the ceremonial house.
Evidence that it was worn during ceremonies. According to Dorota Czarkowska Starzecka of a related mask in the British Museum collections, some were also "used in initiation ceremonies" ("Masks in Oceania" Masks: the Art of Expression, 1996, p.73). During the ceremony, the supernatural presence embodied by the mask was reinforced by the oratorical, musical and choreographic accompaniment that characterized the highly dynamic ceremonies of New Guinea. The red color obtained by successive applications of pigment, crusty in places, bears witness to the mask's great age.
The elongated oval face is highly expressive, enhanced by a classic heart-shaped rim encompassing the eyes and nose. The circular, raised eyes are magnified by clear superciliary arches that subtly echo the shape of the heart. The imposing nose with upturned nostrils. The mouth, with its raised, flattened lips, sketches a broad, serene smile. Pigments: ochres, oranges, browns.
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