A COMPOSITE WARRIOR’S CHARM, KARAHUT, ABELAM CULTURE, PRINCE ALEXANDER MOUNTAINS, 19TH-20TH CENTURY

拍品描述

A COMPOSITE WARRIOR’S CHARM, KARAHUT, ABELAM CULTURE, PRINCE ALEXANDER MOUNTAINS, 19TH-20TH CENTURY This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve Papua New Guinea. Finely composed in the form of a small ancestral spirit figure woven from bark twine and sennit fiber, decorated with boar's tusks, small Nasa shells, and applied ochre, blue, and yellow paints. Important Note: For essential information on the Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger and provenance documentation please visit here: www.zacke.at/rubencollection_ledger Dimensions: Height 32.5 cm Karahut Ornaments are very important ceremonial objects used by the Abelam People during traditional ceremonies and initiations. These were sometimes held in the mouth during ceremonies and at other times worn on the back of the Abelam dancers. For the Abelam, the importance lies in the bright polychrome paints applied to their surfaces as the paint is a magical substance that endows the figures with supernatural power and beauty. The complex male initiation cycle of the Abelam people is restricted to men. The Ceremonial Houses are decorated with carvings of spirit figures and totemic animals, These artworks were attached outside the entrance to the large ceremonial houses and also the entrances to the interior passages and into the initiation chamber. Inside the initiation chamber, with its brilliantly coloured paintings and carvings representing the clan spirits (nggwalndu) and other supernatural beings is revealed. Carved Figures are repainted many times, it likely witnessed the transformation of generations of novices into initiated men. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related karahut charm, Abelam culture, Maprik region, Papua New Guinea, dated to the 20th century, in the Musée des Arts Premiers, Paris. Compare a closely related warrior’s charm (karahut), Abelam people, dated to the early to mid-20th century, 27.94 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1994.387.2. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams New York, 12 November 2014, lot 203 Mid-Estimate: USD 2,500 or approx. EUR 3,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and craftsmanship. Note the size (40.6 cm).

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