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THBSigned 20th C. PNG Sepik River Painted Wood Fish Totem
Lot 162b
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
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
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$3,000 - $4,500
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Jul 11, 2019
Set Reminder
2019-07-11 10:00:00
2019-07-11 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Ancient / Ethnographic / Americana
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ancient-ethnographic-americana-4246
Discover ancient art from Egypt, Greece, Italy, and the Near East, as well as Asian, Pre-Columbian, Tribal, Fossils and Fine Art. Also featuring a wonderful collection from a prominent New York estate whose owners reside in the Van Wyck family's historic Lloyd Harbor waterfront home. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Discover ancient art from Egypt, Greece, Italy, and the Near East, as well as Asian, Pre-Columbian, Tribal, Fossils and Fine Art. Also featuring a wonderful collection from a prominent New York estate whose owners reside in the Van Wyck family's historic Lloyd Harbor waterfront home. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (415)
- Lot Description
Oceania, Papua New Guinea, Sepik River, probably Iatmul people, ca. early 20th century CE. A huge, hand-carved wooden fish totem, painted black, with a white underbelly and white, red, and blue dots on its skin. Its tail is red and blue, its fins red and white, and its mouth lined with red and opened wide to reveal a white interior. The underbelly is signed in red paint on one side with "MAKAM." A series of white feathers are sewn along the top of the body, and a framework of woven wicker is around its neck. A long cluster of wooden slats with dangling reeds hanging from them is below the fish. A sturdy, wooden pole attached to the center of the fish's underside, allowing it to be used as a puppet or carried in a procession. Size: 36.25" W x 34.25" H (92.1 cm x 87 cm); 35" H (88.9 cm) on included custom stand.
In the traditional lifestyle along the huge Sepik River, many people live in matrilineal clans, which are called "ghu." Each ghu has a set of totem animals and plants, with birds and fish or other marine animals being the most important. These totems represent ancestors. Carved totemic animals are also used in dances. For example, Eastern Iatmul people perform a dance to a song concerning two fish who are portrayed by wooden carvings like this one. Men decorate the sculptures in the bush outside the villages before they perform, imbuing them with magic and the spirit of the ancestors.
Provenance: ex-private Tucson, Arizona, USA collection; ex-Ron Perry collection; Ron Perry collected art and artifacts for more than 40 years in New Guinea and the South Pacific. He collaborated with Carolyn Leigh to write a book entitled, "Art Dealer in the Last Unknown: Ron Perry & New Guinea Art: the early years 1964-1972" (2011)
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.
We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#130024Surface wear commensurate with age, but overall in excellent condition. Feathers have some small losses. Pigment is in nice condition. Very light surface cracking. Signature in red paint on one side.Condition
- Shipping Info
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