ILES SALOMON, PROBABLEMENT ÎLE D'OWARAHA, SUD-EST... Lot n° 270

Very important heavy wooden men's house post on three levels; a naked woman with a face adorned with large coral earrings at the base, a man adorned with the same attributes and holding a ritual palm, the whole surmounted by two bonitos that guarantee prosperity. The art of the Solomon Islands is distinguished from other Pacific productions by the islanders' close relationship with the sea, a major source of inspiration: bonito, sharks and various marine animals associated with the human figure form the bulk of the iconographic repertoire. Appearance and function are intimately linked to notions of prestige and power, relationship to spirits, headhunting, funeral ceremonies and the marine environment. Even if each island has its own particularities, it is a homogeneous art, characterized by sobriety and the use of the black colour (a kind of lacquer composed of toko sap [Macaranga similis] and charcoal) that covers the statues. Height 246 cm