Oceania, Papua New Guinea, East Sepik Province, Ramu River region, ca. early to mid 20th century CE. A hand-carved wooden drum with a slender, hourglass-shaped body called a kundu. The kundu consists of two bell-shaped halves connected via a central barrel and with an integral handle bearing abstract avian head terminals. Incised on each half of the drum are two highly abstract anthropomorphic faces with dramatically slanted eyes, narrow noses, and curved mouths. Six petite handles that were used for stringing the drum head to the instrument line each side of the drum, sitting symmetrically to one another along a vertical axis. Lovely remains of vibrant red paint adorn the drum's exterior. Size: 5.5" in diameter x 21.25" H (14 cm x 54 cm)
Kundu drums are made throughout Papua New Guinea, from a variety of local woods, and come in many forms - dramatically carved and/or painted in bright colors - and made through a complex process of hand-carving and burning that has been repeated for centuries. When in use, wax, honey, or coal tar is sometimes put onto the skin to alter the drum's sound.
Provenance: private San Francisco, California, USA collection, acquired 1970s to 2000s
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#136779
Condition
Original drum heads missing as shown. Two lateral stringing elements are broken. Fissure and losses to one rim of drum and a large chip to the opposite rim. Expected abrasions and nicks, all commensurate with age and use. Otherwise, nice with liberal remains of pigment.