Mask of a spiritual being ·  Papua New Guinea - Ramu River · ID: 3037587

Description

wood, reddish brown patina, black paint, Sepik characteristic prominent nose, small pierced eyes with remains of mass around the rim, notched beard, rep. (backside spread with mass), slightly dam., abrasion of paint;
in the Sepik Area, it is generally accepted that long pointed noses represent spiritual beings while short naturalistic ones portray true ancestors.

The object Mask of a spiritual being with the object ID 3037587 was last part of the auction 78th tribal art auction at October 18, 2014 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 33 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,600.

You can find more Masks and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on Oceanian art.

Comparing literature

Friede, John & Marcia, New Guinea Art, Vol. 1, San Francisco 2005, ill. 81