Ancestor spirit mask · Papua New Guinea - Sepik · ID: 3048212
Edmund Müller (1898-1976), Beromünster, Switzerland
Sotheby’s, New York, 22 November 1998, Lot 21
Important Viennese Collection
Dorotheum, Vienna, 4 December 2018, Lot 122
In the house “Zum Dolder” in the village of Beromünster, three generations of provincial doctors have amassed a wide-ranging art collection over a period of more than 100 years. Dr. Edmund Müller jr., who took over the practice in 1929, continued his family’s collecting activities and expanded the spectrum to include exhibits from all non-European continents. With great care he bought objects collected during early German expeditions.
The family lived with the collection. The mask is shown in a photo from the living area.
In order to preserve the precious collection from his family in Beromünster, Dr. Edmund Müller jun. established a foundation in 1969. At Dr. Müller’s death in 1976, the collection passed into the foundation.
Description
wood, white pigment, traces of yellow ochre, rattan, old inscription on reverse “Sepik R. (Neuguinea)”, Müllers accession no. “3387”, min. dam. (rattan beard), base
The object Ancestor spirit mask with the object ID 3048212 was part of the auction 97th Auction on November 6, 2021. The object with the lot number 40 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,700 with an asking price of EUR 1,000.
You can find more Masks and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on Oceanian art.