Oceania, Papua New Guinea, Maprik River region, Abelam people, ca. late 19th to early 20th century CE. A hand-carved rectangular wood architectural panel with a central standing male figure wearing a pointed headdress, flanked by two birds, both upside down, and serpents on the outer edges. The figure, bird, and snake motif are repeated above. Dramatically carved and painted panels are incorporated into the structure of religious buildings known Haus Tambaran, an ancestor worship house with a steeply pointed roof. The Haus Tambaran is a specifically male space within the culture, and also relates to the yam cult that has developed around the staple crop of the people in this region. The faces on this example are meant to represent venerated ancestors, while the hornbill birds are a symbolic design element in Papuan art. Size: 10.25" L x 1" W x 26" H (26 cm x 2.5 cm x 66 cm)

Provenance: private Healy collection, Studio City, California, USA, acquired July 21, 2016; ex-Arte Primitivo; ex-Alan Naftalis estate, acquired from Arte Primitivo in 2008; Deaccessioned from the Steyler Mission Museum Haus Voelker un Kulturen, Bonn, Germany. Field collected pre-1930 by Dr. Georg Holtker

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#175158

Old loss to lower edge as shown. Age commensurate surface wear, pressure fissures, and abrasions. Light mineral deposits and remains of painted pigments.