Anthropo- / zoomorphic figure
Papua New Guinea - Gulf, Urama Island, Iwaino
not available anymore
Provenance
Bonhams, London, 9 December 2004, Lot 191Mallams Auctioneers Abingdon, 2015
Desmond Morris (*1928), Great Britain
Mallams Auctioneers Oxford, 2019
Morris is an English zoologist, ethologist and surrealist painter, as well as a popular author in human sociobiology. He is known for his 1967 book “The Naked Ape”, and for his television programmes such as “Zoo Time”.
Size
H: 74 cm
L: 62 cm
H: 29.1 inch
L: 24.4 inch
Description
wood, pigments,
In this object, the natural growth form of a branch or tree root was translated into a figure.
It is probably related to the “imunu” concept, which is widespread throughout the Gulf area.
Strange or unusual things possess “imunu” to a greater degree than ordinary things. The meaning of “imunu” is elusive, it is roughly synonymous for vital strength or vital principle.