686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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May 11, 2023
**First Time At Auction**
Oceania, Papua New Guinea, Marind / Marind-Anim people, ca. early to mid-20th century CE. A rare example of a wood and seed covered bird headdress costume used during dema rituals. The wooden stork is entirely covered with red abrus and white job’s tears seeds that are affixed with resin Rituals were carried out with dramatic costumes and drums, reenacting cosmological stories about "demas," primeval beings (plants, animals, people). Dema costumes had attributes to identify the being – the long neck and bill represented a stork, and demas would also act as totems for different clans – some of which included coconut, wallaby, sago, and betel nut, and crocodile. The stork (Ndik-end) clan dancers wore this massive bird shaped panel on their shoulders / back of their head, their bodies covered with feathers and other wooden and seed covered panels. Size: 42" L x 25" W (106.7 cm x 63.5 cm); 25" H (63.5 cm) on included custom stand.
Reenacting stories of creation encouraged fertility among the men and women of the tribe. The Marind culture and population was drastically affected by Dutch colonization, and many traditions were considered taboo and outlawed, such as headhunting and ritualistic intercourse.
Please note that this item is heavy/oversized. Please inquire about shipping prior to bidding.
Provenance: private Hawaii collection, acquired 2000 to 2010
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
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#177461
Repaired, wings reattached. Some seeds reattached with adhesive, and some losses to seeds throughout. Stable pressure fissures to wood panel. Earthen and mineral deposits throughout. Seeds flaking off if handled. Please note the abrus seeds are highly toxic if consumed, we recommend displaying in a case.
All shipping is handled in-house for your convenience. Your invoice from Artemis Gallery will include shipping calculation instructions. If in doubt, please inquire BEFORE bidding for estimated shipping costs for individual items. In most cases Artemis Gallery cannot ship to Australia and Germany, please inquire before bidding.