Rare anthropomorphic face mask
Papua New Guinea - East Sepik Province - Yuat River, Biwat
not available anymore
Provenance
Frederick North, London, Great BritainCornelis Pieter Meulendijk (1912-1979), Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Christie’s London, “The Meulendijk Collection of Tribal Art”, Part I, 21 October 1980, Lot 296
Alexander Kubetz (1946-2023), Munich, Germany
Size
H: 32 cm
H: 12.6 inch
Description
wood, pigments, rest.
Such round masks of distinctive bold forms with naturalistic noses, heavy overhanging brows and protruding open mouths are unique to the Biwat.
According to Alfred Bühler (1969, p. 86), they represent clan spirits and were worn by a male elder who was in charge of initiation ceremonies. He also reports that they were traded outside of the Yuat River region, and have been used at various places along the Lower and Middle Sepik River.