Standing male and female couple ·  Westneuguinea / Westpapua (Irian Jaya), Asmat · ID: 3033528

Description

wood, slightly shiny reddish brown patina, uniform bodies with elongated slender limbs, even facial features and coiffures nearly identical, slightly dam., small traces of insect caused dam., on metal plate;
presumably an early remittance work from the 50s of the 20th century.
A comparable couple (in coitu) is depicted at D. Smidt, Leiden 1993, p. 95. Its meaning in the context of the Asmat culture however is almost unknown.

The object Standing male and female couple with the object ID 3033528 was last part of the auction 70th tribal art auction at September 8, 2012 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 40 achieved a sales price of EUR 7,500.

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Comparing literature

Smidt, Dirk (ed.), Asmat Art, Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde, Leiden 1993, p. 95, pl. 7.35