Zemanek-Münster

Suspension hook with female figure

Papua New Guinea, Iatmul
sold EUR 2,500
Provenance
Australian Collection, Sydney
John Giltsoff, Girona, Spain
Size
H: 59,5 cm
H: 23.4 inch

Description

pigments, base

Figural hooks were integral part of men’s houses. The sculptures were hung from the rafters or eves, with valuable foods and personal items hung on their hooks, keeping them away from the numerous vermin.

A second function was the protection the hooks gave as intermediaries to the inhabitant ancestral spirits.


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