Rare figure of a composite being, late 19th century, collected prior to 1920
Papua New Guinea - Massim
not available anymore
Provenance
part of a collection of artifacts donated to Nevada City, California courthouse in the 1920’s by a local family. In 1962 the local high school principal puchased the collection because of his ties to New Guinea, where he served in WW II as a fighter pilot.Michael Hamson, Palos Verdes, California, USA
Yves Créhalet, Paris, France
Rive Gauche, Paris, 18 November 2013, lot 30
Size
H: 23 cm
H: 9.1 inch
Description
wood, honey brown patina, lime, tapered torso carved with arms and wings, head with large deepening for insertion of magical substances, face and head covered in a deeply carved zigzag motif and infilled with white lime, slightly dam., minor missing parts (back of the head), base;
nothing about the use of this figure has survived and the Massim expert Harry Beran has seen nothing like it and can only suggest that if the peg at the base was bit longer the piece could possibly have been a ridgepole figure that guards a chief’s house. He also goes on to say that the figure is significant as a “fairly rare Massim instance of mixed creature sculpture bird and anthropomorphic”.