Mask of an ancestor spirit · Papua New Guinea - Middle Sepik · ID: 3040152
Description
wood, greyish brown patina, painted with black colour, remains of white and red pigment, prominent cheeks and strong nose with pierced septum, flanked by closely set cowrie shell eyes, high rising narrow forehead modelled with clay-like mass with attached cowrie shells and strands of real hair, ears with drilled holes for attachment of ornament, slightly dam., old rep. (the left ear fixed with rattan strips), abrasion of paint;
Sepik masks represent ancestors or mythical beings and have personal names. Each mask is usually fastened to a small frame of sticks and then stored on a shelf in the ceiling of the men’s house. The spirits of this masks are evoked during important occasions such as the building of a cult house or canoe, or at the initiation of young men.
The object Mask of an ancestor spirit with the object ID 3040152 was last part of the auction 82nd Tribal Art Auction at February 27, 2016 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 63 achieved a sales price of EUR 3,500.
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.