Standing male ancestor figure
Westneuguinea / Westpapua (Irian Jaya), Asmat
sold
EUR 1,500
Provenance
Hugo Hendrik Hage, Velserbroek, The Netherlands (coll. in situ in the 1950s)
Hage was working for the Batavian Oil Company as communication officer and supervisor. BPM was the Dutch East Indies and later Indonesian subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell oil company established in 1907. Hage was stationed in Dutch New Guinea, Asmat region in the 1950s and went back to the Netherlands in 1959.
Size
H: 164 cm
H: 64.6 inch
Description
wood, remains of lime and red ochre, base
According to the Asmat creation myth, their people emerged from wooden figures that were first carved by Fumeripit, a great cultural hero, and then brought to life by drumming.
These figures are said to be reminiscent of the first humans (“asmat”).They usually represent recently deceased ancestors whose names they bear.