**Originally Listed At $400**

Southeast Asia, Indonesia, western Irian Jaya, Asmat people, ca. mid-20th century CE. A softwood bowl in the form of a leaf sheath from the sago palm, with a figural handle as well as abstract zoomorphic relief carvings colored a distinctive ashy black, crushed limestone white, and reddish-orange pigments made from clay on the verso. The dish was intended to serve the daily meal of roasted sago dough; sago, the starchy pith of a palm that grows in the region and forms eighty percent of the traditional Asmat diet. The human head at the top of the dish represents an ancestor and, when not in use, dishes like this one were stored with the face turned away so that they could not stare at the family. Size: 17.8" L x 9" W (45.2 cm x 22.9 cm)

Provenance: ex-private Bishop Family Trust collection, the Trust of the late Bill Bishop, a noted antiquarian with shops in Scottsdale, Arizona and Allenspark, Colorado, USA, acquired before 2010

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#173125

Surface wear as shown with abrasion and nicks, commensurate with use. Horizontal scratch to interior. Otherwise, intact and excellent with nice remaining pigments.