Preshistoric bark-cloth beater · Papua New Guinea - Eastern Highlands, Lufa region · ID: 3052685
John & Marcia Friede, Rye, USA
Description
basalt, base
Bark-cloth beaters, used to create a type of “fabric” for costumes and decorations, were traditionally crafted from either stone or wood. They were long and cylindrical in shape, with the upper half carved with parallel or cross-hatched grooves. Strips of bark from paper mulberry or hibiscus plants were pounded against a flat board or a stone, gradually thinning and stretching the material until it resembled cloth.
The object Preshistoric bark-cloth beater with the object ID 3052685 was last part of the auction Auction 105 at November 15, 2025 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 134 achieved a sales price of EUR 750.
Publications
Friede, John et. al., New Guinea Highlands, 2017, p. 235, ill. 11.3.
Notices
This object is subject to the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Protection Act. Export documents are required for export (subjected to a fee).