Lot 0005

Exceptional Male Hook Figure, Middle Sepik River Area, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea

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Exceptional Male Hook Figure, Middle Sepik River Area, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea

Item Details

Description

Exceptional Male Hook Figure, Middle Sepik River Area, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea
samban
Wood, pigment, vegetable fiber
Height 51 1/4in (130.2cm)

Provenance
Wayne Heathcote, Brussels/New York/London
American Private Collection

Old collection number 'L7255.7' written in white ink on back

As noted by Crispin Howarth, 'Samban is the Iatmul name given to wonderfully sculptural suspension hooks along the Sepik River. The most commonly encountered are functional domestic objects, anchor-like in form, suspended from the rafters of a house by rope. They are designed to keep netted fibre bags of food, sago cakes and smoked fish, assorted valuables and occasionally even sleeping babies out of harm's way.

Samban take many diverse forms and truly attest to the artistry of the Sepik carvers. Each one is beautifully carved in the form of a specific named ancestor or spirit being.' (Myth and Magic - Art of the Sepik River, Papua New Guinea, National Gallery of Australia, 2015, p. 145)

Carved in monumental scale from one piece of wood in overall rounded and attenuated form, the elongated head with large pierced suspension hole in back, bordered with circular flange ears, each pierced twice, large circular eyes shallowly carved and divided by a proportionally large rounded nose above a slightly upturned open mouth; broad rounded shoulders and elongated arms with evenly spread fingers frame the torso, highlighted on the front and back with raised scarifications, including two crescent-form designs--the right curving downward and the left curving upward--and an openwork reptilian-like design on the chest; naturalistic legs with delineated toes rest firmly on the hook (the left side with old loss) with two animistic heads in front and the right hook end terminating in an avian head; varied light and dark brown patina with encrustations and pigment highlights to the body and face.

Condition

Old loss to left hook element; aged distress lines throughout; white specks to upper torso on front; minor nicks, stains, scratches, abrasions and wear consistent with age. Custom mount.

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Exceptional Male Hook Figure, Middle Sepik River Area, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea

Name: Exceptional Male Hook Figure, Middle Sepik River Area, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea
SKU: 175986603
Price: 100000 USD
Availability: InStock

Estimate $100,000 - $150,000

See Sold Price

Starting Price $80,000

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