Ancestor spirit mask · Papua New Guinea - Sepik · ID: 3034289
sold
EUR 650
Provenance
Old German Collection, Berlin (before 1943)Size
H: 45 cm
H: 17.7 inch
Description
wood, middle brown patina, nose with pierced septum, the facial plane entirely coated with incised curved ornaments, on top and at the bottom carved with crocodile heads, small birds originally on both sides (now missing on the right), slightly dam., missing parts (right ear), paint rubbed off;
in the Sepik area, it is generally accepted that long pointed noses represent spiritual beings while short naturalistic ones portray true ancestors.