String figure "timbuwara" ·  Papua New Guinea - Southern Highlands, Pangia area · ID: 3052724

Description

rattan, ochre, clay pigment,

According to Anthony Meyer, there is different information about the use/ function of these abstract objects.

On the one hand, they are supposed to have been attached to the entrance of the men’s house as a guardian spirit, but on the other hand, there are indications that they were carried on the head during fertility rites. Thirdly, they are said to represent a man’s deceased wife, and were kept in the Men’s House where friends and relatives could pay their respects.

The object String figure “timbuwara” with the object ID 3052724 was last part of the auction Auction 106 at April 25, 2026 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 161 achieved a sales price of EUR 600.

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Comparing literature

Meyer, Anthony J.P., Ozeanische Kunst, Vol. I, Köln 1995, p. 304, ill. 334