IATMUL New Guinea, Middle Sepik region h 55 cm Mask. Provided... Lot 8

IATMUL New Guinea, Middle Sepik region h 55 cm Mask. Provided with no platform. Engraved and painted wood. A mask characteristic of the Middle Sepik region, in the land that stretches between the villages of Tambaran, Angoran and Korogo.It consists of a hard, engraved wooden structure, painted black, covered with elements fixed by a glue made of natural resins, including boar tusks, bird feathers and shells. The shape of the mask recalls the stylised face of a forest bird with a long, beaked nose. A woven raphia palm mesh coats the profile. These models were the image of the clan’s ancestors, both male and female. The masks were used for public displays, particularly rituals that involved the participation of the clan’s young people. PROVENANCE Galleria Peter Kohler, Ascona 1962 (inv. 127) (*); Galleria Paolo Morigi, Lugano (1978); Collection of Walter Schwab, Bern (inv. WS 184) (1979); This model was acquired on-site during the expedition to Papua New Guinea organised in the 1950s/60s by art dealer Peter Kohler (*), alongside Swiss professors Alfred Buhler (**) and René Gardi (***), seasoned travellers and authors of various works, particularly on Papua New Guinea.The mask, which arrived in Holland in 1962 with other finds from the expedition, was imported in to Switzerland by Peter Kohler and, in 1978, was sold to Paolo Morigi. The following year, it came into Walter Schwab’s collection. NOTE Lot not located at Finarte offices but in Switzerland. It could be subject to customs costs related to the importation into the buyer’s country. In any event, any customs cost and/or burden related to importation shall be borne by the buyer. For more information, please write an email to arteafricana@finarte.it