Male "mai" mask · Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée, Iatmul · ID: 3040153
Christie’s, London, The Meulendijk Collection of Tribal Art, Part I, 21 October 1980, lot 301
Description
wood, black patina, remains of white pigment, eyes with shell inlay, long and thin mask (as is typical for the male type) and bow-shaped extension of the nose, decoration with nassa snails missing, slightly dam., abrasion of paint, acrylic base;
the “mai” mask, according to some sources, gets its name from the little nassa shells “mai” with which it is usually abundantly decorated. These masks are attached to a profulesly adorned conical mask frame worn during certain ceremonies by young men representing and bearing the names of pairs of clan ancestral brothers and sisters. The long thin masks are male, while the fuller and rounder ones represent the female.
L’objet Male “mai” mask avec l’ID d’objet 3040153 a fait partie de la dernière vente aux enchères 82nd Tribal Art Auction dans 27 février 2016 le Zemanek-Münster Hôtel des ventes. L’objet portant le numéro de lot 49 a atteint un prix de vente de 3 000 €.
Vous trouverez d’autres Masques et autres types d’objets populaires sur nos pages thématiques associées. Notre page sur le thème Art océanien pourrait également vous intéresser.
Littérature comparée
Craig, Barry (ed.), Living spirits with fixed abodes, Honolulu 2010, p. 206