Ceremonial mask "brag", 1930-1940 · Papua New Guinea, Lower Sepik - Ramu · ID: 3049732
sold
EUR 5,500
Provenance
Bacquart, Jean-Baptiste, London, Great Britain / Paris, FranceGalerie Flak, Paris, France
Magnus Svensson, Broby, Sweden
Size
H: 35 cm
H: 13.8 inch
Description
wood, red ochre, lime, shell discs, base
The “brag” spirit is characerised as male and warlike, seducing women and devouring young initiates before spitting them back to their mothers as adult men. A symbolic act that symbolises the transformation of boys into adult men.
The “brag” masks were consulted before headhunting raids and given food and blood. After a successful raid, the severed head of the victim was rubbed on the masks so they could “drink the blood”. The young men likewise drank the blood of the severed head to make them strong and fearless in battle.
Expertise
Certificat d' Authenticité, Julien Flak, Paris, 20 January 2015
Comparing literature
Conru, Kevin (ed.), Sepik Ramu Art, Brussels 2019, p. 235 ff.