Anthropomorphic suspension hook · Papua New Guinea, Iatmul / Sawos · ID: 3045571

Name: Anthropomorphic suspension hook
SKU: 3045571
Price: 8500 EUR
Availability: SoldOut

sold EUR 8,500

Provenance

Hofrat Hinderer, Stuttgart, Germany

Size

H: 55 cm

H: 21.7 inch

Description

wood, colour pigments, seashell, plant fibre, old label “gift from Hofrat Hinderer Stuttgart - probably Kaiser-Wilhelm-Land (New Guinea 1884-1918)”

Most hooks are adorned with representations of ancestral spirits and totemic animals associated with the owner’s clan.

Such elaborate hooks carved with anthropomorphic figures usually hung in the men’s ritual houses. Here they served for suspension of sacrificial offerings (chicken and betel nut) which were needed for invoking the “wagen” spirits, who were responsible for the well-being of the entire village communtiy.

The object Anthropomorphic suspension hook with the object ID 3045571 was part of the auction 92nd Tribal Art Auction on June 29, 2019. The object with the lot number 6 achieved a sales price of EUR 8,500 with an asking price of EUR 4,000.

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