Suspension hook "samban" or "tshambwan" · Papua New Guinea - East Sepik Province, Iatmul · ID: 3052613
Starting price
EUR 4,000
Estimated price
EUR 10,000
Provenance
Philip Goldman (1922-2012), Gallery 43, London, Great BritainLoed van Bussel, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Dorotheum, Vienna, Austria, 4 October 2021, lot 79
Size
H: 46,6 cm
H: 18.3 inch
Description
wood, black paint residue, rattan, base
Suspended from the rafters by a cord, they are used to safeguard food, clothing, and other items, which are placed in baskets or string bags and hung from the hook-shaped prongs at the base to keep them out of reach of vermin.
Most hooks are adorned with representations of ancestral spirits and totemic animals associated with the owner’s clan.
In earlier times, some particularly important suspension hooks received offerings to connect with the powerful “waken”, supernatural beings, and to seek their advice on significant matters.