Big male ancestor figure
Papua New Guinea - Wosera
sold
EUR 2,500
Provenance
Ruth P. Kennedy, Los Angeles, USAMichael Hamson, Palos Verdes, California, USA
Size
H: 136 cm
H: 53.5 inch
Description
wood, yellow ochre, white, red and black pigment, carrying a big hornbill on the head, the body ornamentally painted with lattice patterns and breast ornament, nice detail: carved with the handle of a knife, which the Sepik men used to wear stuck into the armrings, slightly dam., minor missing parts, cracks, on metal plate;
the Wosera are referred to in the literature as the “southern Abelam”, and the two groups have definite cultural and artistic links. While the Abelam usually carve with very little depth, the Wosera, on the other hand, have a highly developed sense of plastic form. The ancestor figures - just like the skulls - encorporate the deceased. The head as abode of vital force is disproportionately emphasized.