Small clay mask, um 1900 ·  Papua New Guinea - Lower Sepik, East Sepik Province, Pora Pora River · ID: 3046889

Description

terracotta,
With regard to the function of these small clay masks, there is the hint that “small clay masks were tied to the knees and bodies of ancestor figures” (Ch. Kaufmann).

This was proved by Bruce Frank, who illustrated two drawings of monumental spirit figures from this area, whose knees are carved with small mask faces (B. Frank, 2015, Fig. D & E).

The object Small clay mask, um 1900 with the object ID 3046889 was last part of the auction Voyage Tribal Art - Live Online Auction at May 23, 2020 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 55.

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

Frank, Bruce, Porapora, Archaic Terracottas from the Jolika Collection of Marcia and John Friede, New York 2015, Fig. D & E