Maprik Area, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea

A charming little Abelam yam mask. Classic form with a solid exaggerated brow and chin. Used to adorn yams at harvest ceremonies. Wonderful old multi-layered pigments indicating repeated use over many harvests. Dark blackened patina from time spent in storage in the kitchen house. In overall excellent condition. Early to mid 20th Century. Custom Mounted.

Height: 20 cm or 8 inches.
Price: SOLD

Maprik Area, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea

A fantastic example of this style of woven mask. Made particularly interesting by the second backwards facing face. Extremely well woven with raised mouths, and ears, and coiled frames around the faces and along the ridges of the nose. Wearing a cassowary feather headdress, and beautifully decorated with natural pigments. Smokey dark patina from time spent in storage in the “hauskuk” , in excellent condition. Mounted on a custom display stand. Early to mid 20th Century.

Dimensions: 63 x 50 x 26 cm or 24.5 x 19.5 x 10.25 inches.
Price: $2200.00 AUD

Schouten Islands, East Sepik, Papua New Guinea

An important old Schouten Islands Dance Mask; most likely originating from Vokeo island. Known as “Lewa” these masks represent the ancestor “Tangbwal”. Well carved from hard wood, in classic form with the exaggerated large nose bearing a carved wooden nose-piece. The holes around the outer rim of the mask exhibiting wear from being attached to the dancers costume obviously a number of times. Traces of white lime infill is still visible on the wooden nose ornament. The front of this mask bears a deep glossy patina, while the reverse is dark and encrusted, in truly wonderful condition. Circa early to mid 20th Century. Mounted on a steel display stand.
Height:41 cm or 16 inches.
Price:SOLD

Ulupu Village, Maprik Area, Papua New Guinea

An old Abelam woven yam mask. Attached to yams at harvest ceremonies to represent ancestor spirits. Unusual stout form of woven cane with lovely muted natural pigment decoration. The reverese showing age due to built up encrustations; in excellent condition. Mounted on a steel display stand.

Dimensions: 21 x 31 cm or 8.25 x 12.2 inches.
Price: $950.00 AUD

A’Idio Village, Papuan Gulf, Papua New Guinea

This amazing Papuan dance costume from A’Idio Village, is similar to the more commonly known Kanipu costume. Representing bush spirits it is worn by young boys at initiation, or to guard “majic” coconuts to be used at ceremonies.
Tapa cloth stretched over a cane frame with a grass fiber fringe. Collected in the 1960′s; in great condition.
Ex: H.M. Lissauer collection Melbourne.

Dimensions: 110 x 54 x 120 cm or 43 x 21 x 47 inches
Price: $1500.00 AUD