Oceania, Papua New Guinea, ca. 20th century CE. A magnificent, carved wooden shield in the form of a mask with an elongated nose that extends down to the form a handle and terminates in a sleek sea bird in flight - possibly an albatross, with its long, large beak. The eyes of the both the human figure and the bird are inlaid with cowrie shells, and the mouth and outline of the eyes are painted black, as are details on the bird. In contrast to the smooth form of the face, the bird has wonderfully incised carved lines creating a dense body of feathers. Size: 7" W x 38.5" H (17.8 cm x 97.8 cm)

Provenance: private Pearson collection, Denver, Colorado, USA; ex Arte Primitivo Gallery, New York, USA

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#122118

Very slight signs of surface wear with small areas of staning on the forehead and lower part of the face. Tiny losses to tail feathers on bird.