String figure "timbuwara" ("spear of the door")
Papua New Guinea - Southern Highlands, Pangia area
sold
EUR 1,500
Provenance
Todd Barlin, Sydney, AustraliaSize
H: 86 cm
B: 95 cm
H: 33.9 inch
B: 37.4 inch
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.