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Rare Early 20th C. Carved Wood Papua New Guinea Maira

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Rare Early 20th C. Carved Wood Papua New Guinea Maira

Item Details

Description

Oceania, Papua New Guinea, Wosera-Gawi region, ca. early 20th century CE. A maira, a totemic ancestral figure, hand-carved from wood by the Abelam people. These items are kept for ceremonial power and worship and are sometimes placed into a circle together to create a sacred space. This particular example is in the form of a standing male with an enormous zoomorphic, avian-form crested headdress. The male has a mask-like face, with dramatic, triangular eyes, bright yellow triangles painted on his cheeks, and a small, rounded mouth. The forehead is divided into triangles of red and black. Below the face, the man has a diamond-shaped torso framed by his arms, which he rests just below his narrow waist. His obvious phallus hangs between his bent legs, which meet in a zoomorphic form where his feet should be. Size: 5.9" W x 40" H (15 cm x 101.6 cm); 42.1" H (106.9 cm) on included custom stand.

The crest above his head is dominated by two huge yellow and black eyes painted on diamond-shaped panels; they resemble those of an owl. Above those panels are two heads of heron-like birds with very long beaks that meet in the middle between the two large eyes. A fascinating figure!

Provenance: ex private Tucson, Arizona, USA collection

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#129979

Condition

Surface wear and losses to pigment commensurate with age, including some small surface cracks.

Buyer's Premium

24.5%

Rare Early 20th C. Carved Wood Papua New Guinea Maira

Name: Rare Early 20th C. Carved Wood Papua New Guinea Maira
SKU: 58824172
Price: 1500 USD
Availability: InStock

Estimate $1,500 - $2,200

See Sold Price

Starting Price $900

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