Anthropomorphic flute stopper · Papua New Guinea - Middle Sepik, Iatmul · ID: 3052795
Starting price
EUR 2,500
Estimated price
EUR 5,000
Provenance
Edmund Müller, Beromünster, SwitzerlandSotheby’s, New York, 22 November 1998, lot 15
Size
H: 32 cm
H: 12.6 inch
Description
wood, cowries, base
The figural flute finial seals the upper end of a bamboo flute used in Iatmul ritual ceremonies. Its facial features and hairline point to this cultural context.
As an integral part of the instrument, the finial underscored its ritual significance and, through the depiction of human, animal, or mythological beings, created a connection to the ancestral and spiritual realm.