Male figure of an ancestor spirit "blaal" ·  Papua New Guinea - Sepik · ID: 3035969

Description

wood, matt black patina, encrustations with red pigment, characteristic form in the so-called “beak style”, with the long projecting beak-like mouth, slightly dam. (tip of the coiffure), crack (beak tip), base;
according to O. Reche the ancestor figures originally were advancements or supplements of the real ancestor skulls. The idea was, that not only a natural head but a whole body should be offered as abode to the soul of the deceased. According to Reche it can be assumed, that the original form of an ancestor figure consisted of a natural human skull and a wooden trunk. But this was only a transitional stage and finally was detached by such wooden whole-figure-statuettes.

The object Male figure of an ancestor spirit “blaal” with the object ID 3035969 was last part of the auction 75th tribal art auction at November 30, 2013 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 40 achieved a sales price of EUR 4,000.

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