A Superb Old New Guinea Canoe Prow Ornament Asmat People West Papua Irian Jaya Indonesia

A Superb Old New Guinea Asmat Canoe Prow Ornament from the South Coast of West Papua (Irian Jaya) Indonesia 

See my Canoe Prow Gallery Here: https://www.oceanicartsaustralia.com/fine-tribal-art/new-guinea-tribal-art-oceanic-art/canoe-ornaments/

See All of the Galleries & Sub Galleries Here: https://www.oceanicartsaustralia.com/

This fine old Asmat Sculpture was once on the front of a large war canoe that could hold about 20 to 25 warriors standing up and paddling. Finely carved by an Asmat Master Carver or Wow Ipitsj in the form of two rows of seated Asmat Ancestors.  When on the canoe the orientation would be horizontal but as a sculpture, I like this way.  The Ancestor Figures depicted look like a group of people sitting in a canoe.   The canoe & canoe prow ornament were often carved from a single large tree and the other rare type of Canoe Prow like this example was tied to the front of the canoe.

The Asmat relation to trees is part of their creation mythology where the creator Fumeripitsj was lonely so he carved the first Asmat people from a tree & brought them to life by playing his drum.

The Asmat people and their art became well known when Michael Clark Rockefeller who was collecting Asmat Art was presumed dead there in November 1961.  The artworks he collected are still beautifully displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York

This Canoe Prow along with other artworks was collected by Todd Barlin over 2 years from 1985-1986, most of these artworks are now in major museum collections around the world including The Musee du Quai Branly Museum in Paris. When you walk into the Oceanic Art Pavilion the first thing you see are monumental Ancestor Poles from the Asmat & Mimika along with a Soul Boat, Shields, and Dance Costumes from the Asmat & Mimika, all of those artworks were collected at the same time as this Canoe Prow.

Photos above of the groundbreaking exhibition “The Asmat & Mimika” at The National Museum of African & Oceanic Art in Paris 1996 now part of The Musee du Quai Branly Museum.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art .  See my Biography Here https://www.oceanicartsaustralia.com/art-for-sale/oceanic-art-society-interview-by-margaret-cassidy/

See my new Exhibtion Galleries Here:  EXHIBITIONS GALLERY  showing the Museums and Art Galleries Exhibitions that I provided artworks for over the past 40 years. There is the link to the article about my artworks published in the prestigious Louvre Magazine in 1996

I have artwork for Museums and art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery. I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specializes in New Guinea and Oceanic Art.  Sydney is very close to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbours.

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