Female ancestral spirit figure · Papua New Guinea - Sepik · ID: 3035411
sold
EUR 2,800
Provenance
collected in situ (1978)Size
H: 32 cm
H: 12.6 inch
Description
wood, clay-coloured patina, brown paint, kaolin, bent legs and raised arms, nose with curved bridge and pierced septum, diadem-like coiffure, drilled earholes, the right leg inscribed backside: “MB 351”, slightly dam., minor missing parts (nose, right hand and arm), metal socle;
the arms and legs are swept up - typically a posture of birth but often symbolizing creativity, fertility and fecundity. These ancestral spirits often have strict fields of influence - for example pig hunting or warfare.
Comparing literature
Hamson, Michael, The Elegance of Menace, Los Angeles 2005, ill. 72