Art For Sale Archive - Page 18 of 48 - Oceanic Arts Australia

A Superb Old Pair of Ancestor Figures from Aitos Area East Timor

A Superb Old Pair of Ancestor Figures from Aitos Area East Timor

The fine old pair of male and Female Ancestor Figures are from the Aitos Area of East Timor in SE Asia. Dating from the early 20th century this distinct style of the Aitos figures area is part of a larger corpus of Ancestor Worship and Art stretching all the way through SE Asia and the Indonesian archipelago and into the island of New Guinea.

Ancestor posts like these played a significant role in rituals that honoured ancestral spirits who presided over the land and instructed the Tetum people on all areas of daily life; the raising of cattle, agriculture, hunting & fishing and architecture. The ancestors are made visible by these carved figures who pass on the traditions to the living. They also watch over their descendants to ensure that their customs are carefully followed and punishing those who fail to conform to the ancient traditions. Offerings to ancestral spirits were placed on stone slabs near the ancestral figures or on the actual figures sometimes adorning them with textiles or traditional ornaments.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Indonesian & New Guinea Oceanic Art

See my new 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 neighbors.

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If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us

A Superb Old New Guinea Keram River Ancestor Figure East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea

A Superb Old New Guinea Keram River Ancestor Figure East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea

This superb old Ancestor Figure is from the Keram River area a tributary of the Sepik River in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea. This figure is dating from the late 19th to the early 20th Century. It’s unique iconography of a father carrying his son on his back. I looked at this sculpture for a long time trying to see if I was seeing it correctly, possibly a double ancestor figure but I keep coming back to the idea that it is a father carrying his son on his back.

The Keram River area has a unique style of art out of the many other Sepik river cultures close by.

Carved from a single piece of hardwood and it never had a flat base to stand up independently as many early Sepik Figures are. The front view is a standing male ancestor with elongated almost vertical eyes, the nose is pierced and has a fiber string through the septum, and the elongated head suggests he might be wearing a hair ornament. The reverse side of this figure looks like the normal back view of the ancestor figure except for the male child that appears to be riding piggyback style but facing outwards as when people carry their kids in a backpack-type carrier.

The German Anthropologist Richard Thurnwald (1869–1954) joined the expedition in January of 1913 and was assigned the Töpferfluss, known today as the Keram River. He reported on the many types of artworks made in this area, especially the superb feather mosaics that were arranged into large-scale assemblages inside the men’s ceremonial houses for the initiation ceremonies of young men. See the fine article and photos in the Tribal Art Magazine by By Valentin Boissonnas in Winter 2018.

There are many types of sculptures that are termed ” Maternity Figures” being a mother & child, this is a common artistic theme in all cultures including the Sepik River cultures but as far as I have seen this is a unique sculpture of a father and son. The many times I visited villages all over New Guinea & West Papua I often saw fathers carrying their children & holding them in a tender loving manner.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art.

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To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

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A Fine Old Collection of 58 Clay & Metal Buddhist Votives Burma Myanmar 18th -19th Century

A Superb Collection of 58 Clay & Metal Buddhist Votives Burma Myanmar,18th -19th Century

In Burma Myanmar, clay & metal votives were widely made & used by devote Buddhists who believe that making these images builds spiritual merit. Clay votive tablets of the Buddha and Buddhist images represent a significant element of the archaeological record of early Buddhist sites in Southeast Asia including Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam.

Bronze molds were used to make clay images that were stamped out & sun-dried & then individually painted with gold or silver. They were made in many different types some of the Buddha’s and scenes of the historical Buddha’s life, Bodhisattva’s, and other deities.

This collection I made over 40 years buying one or two good examples at a time. The collection shows the many different styles of these clay & metal votives and the fine detail that the artists were able to accomplish. Votives were also used to fill the inside a Pagoda or Shrine, others were kept as memories of visits to important Buddhist Shrines or temples. In Thailand & Burma, ancient clay votives are highly regarded as protection & worn in metal-cased necklaces.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Buddhist and Asian Art

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To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

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A Fine Old Amulet Figure West Nepal late 19th – Early 20th Century

A Fine Old Amulet Figure West Nepal late 19th – Early 20th Century

This sweet little carved wood figure of a male ancestor was used as a personal amulet by the people of Western Nepal. When you pick this little figure up in your hands you instantly see that this has been cared for and handled for a very long time. The figure shows its hands held to its stomach or perhaps is holding his penis. The figure has a deep reddish-black patina from long use.

Ancestor worship and personal home shrines are common in the remote areas of Western Nepal, it is only in recent years that many artworks from this part of Nepal have been shown around the world. The heavily eroded ancestor figures that guard bridges are the better know artworks from this area.

This small sculpture has given me a lot of enjoyment just having it around to pick up and admire. I never get tired of looking at it. Now is the time to let this fine little figure go to a new home where hopefully it will be greatly enjoyed for many years.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic and Asian Art

A Superb New Guinea Humboldt Bay Tapa Bark Cloth Painting West Papua

A Superb New Guinea Humboldt Bay Tapa Bark Cloth Painting West Papua

This superb large Tapa Bark Cloth Painting from the Humboldt Bay area on the Northwest Coast of West Papua.

The beautiful painting is of a powerful sea spirit which features in the mythology of the Humbold Bay area.

Made from a single long piece of tree bark taken from the paper mulberry tree that is then pounded flat through a traditional process that is used throughout the island of New Guinea, the rest of Melanesia & Polynesia.

The Tapa Cloths from Lake Sentani and Humboldt Bay in N.W. Irian Jaya is locally known as Maro Smo.

Early accounts of the local people making and wearing decorated Tapa Cloth are sketchy, but it seems that married women wore Tapa Skirts which were decorated with designs. An early photograph by the ethnographer Paul Wirtz in 1926 shows a large painted Tapa Cloth displayed next to the grave of a young woman.

The Tapa designs that the outside world usually associates with Lake Sentani and Humboldt Bay, were collected in the 1920s and 1930s.

There is evidence to suggest that the manufacture of painted Tapa Cloths during this period, was stimulated by European interest in collecting them. In 1929 Jacques Viot, the French surrealist author and art dealer made a trip to the area and collected a number of Tapa cloth that were later exhibited in Paris. These works of art had a great impact on the Paris art scene at that time. Many early 20^th Century artists such as Picasso and Joan Miro were influenced by these Tapa paintings.

A Superb Large New Guinea Lake Sentani Bark Cloth Tapa Painting West Papua

This superb large Tapa Bark Cloth Painting is from the Lake Sentani area on the Northwest Coast of West Papua.

The Tapa Cloths from Lake Sentani and Humboldt Bay in N.W. Irian Jaya is locally known as Maro Smo.

The Tapa designs that the outside world usually associates with Lake Sentani and Humboldt Bay, were collected in the 1920s and 1930s.

Many of the design elements in these contemporary Tapa Cloths are very old traditional designs,. The design on this Tapa Cloth is one of the main Lake Sentani motifs called Fouw, a chiefly design made of interlocking spiral design which is said to represent eternity and is associated with the power of Chiefs. The Fouw design is commonly used on many types of carved objects from the Lake Sentani area, including canoes, paddles, bowls and other items. Other common motifs are animals, birds and fish that are plentiful in their natural environment. There are also depictions powerful mythological spirits that inhabit the bush and the ocean.

This is a very fine example Tapa Cloth painting, the artist went to a huge amount of effort to first strip a large tree & prepare the Tapa Bark Cloth before painting the designs. The designs painted in white, black & red ochre are painted by a very confident artist. This is the largest Tapa Cloth Painting I have ever seen after spending many months in villages all around Lake Sentani & Humboldt Bay.

This fine artwork deserves to be in a Museum

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art

A Superb Old Japanese Jizaikagi Hearth Hook 19th Century Japan

This beautiful Japanese Hearth Hook called Jizaikagi is dating from the 19th Century.

This very fine old Jizaikagi in the form of the hat worn by the Shinto God Daikoku. Carved from heavy dark hardwood.

An irori (囲炉裏, 居炉裏) is a traditional Japanese sunken hearth fired with charcoal. Used for heating the home and for cooking food, it is essentially a square, stone-lined pit in the floor, equipped with an adjustable pothook – called a Jizaikagi (自在鉤) and generally consisting of an iron rod within a bamboo tube – used for raising or lowering a suspended pot or kettle by means of an attached lever.

The Jizaikagi come in different forms like this example designed in the style of the hat worn by the Shinto God Daikoku the God of Agriculture which was believed to bring prosperity thereby the Jizai being given the nickname of Daikoku Jizai.

Historically irori served as the main source of residential heating and lighting, providing a place to cook, dry clothing, and serve as a communal gathering location.

It is not known when the Jizaikagi was invented but it was already in use in the Muromachi period 1336 to 1573.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Asian & Oceanic Art

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If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

A Superb Old Burmese Glazed Ceramic Architectural Tile Depicting Buddhas 18th C

A Superb Old Burmese Glazed Ceramic Architectural Tile Depicting Buddhas 18th Century

This Fine old Buddhist Ceramic Architectural Wall Tile is from Burma and dates from the 18^th Century. The tile is of the type made for the Mingun pagoda, left unfinished at the death of King Bodawpaya (1819). Above the temple’s plinth are stepped terraces where the glazed green, brown, and yellow tiles would have been inserted.

This beautiful glazed architectural tile depicting either two Buddhas sitting in a temple niche. The edge of the tile has round floral designs and below the figures, there is writing in Burmese characters.

Made from brown earthenware, is coated with a thick reddish-brown glaze.

A few similar tiles are known outside Burma, including one in the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in London & The British Museum

Provenance The Todd Barlin Collection of Asian Art

A Fine Old Nepalese Carved Wood Figure of the Goddess Cunda Devi 18th Century

A Fine Old Nepalese Carved Wood Figure of the Goddess Cunda Devi 18th Century

This finely carved figure of the four-armed Nepalese Goddess is possibly a form of Cunda Devi who is a form of Vairocana. Dating from the 18th Century. She is here in her wrathful form dancing on a corpse representing selfish ignorance and she holds a strangely non-Buddhist array of items. In her top hands, she holds an elephant goad and a circlet (a symbol of Vishnu) and her lower hands hold a lotus and an unidentifiable item. She has a necklace of skulls and is surrounded by cosmic flames showing that she exists beyond the end of time, symbolized here by the flames. It is obviously part of a larger architectural carving.

On the back, there is an old label that reads ” The University of Texas Exhibition Program”

The Todd Barlin Collection of Asian Buddhist Art

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If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

A Fine Old Clay Temple Tile depicting the Deity Ganesh West Bengal India 13th-16th Century

A Fine Early Clay Votive Temple Tile depicting the Deity Ganesh West Bengal India 13th-16th Century

This beautiful old clay votive architectural tile was from Rajshahi District Bengal Province in India, it was purchased in the 1960s in Bangladesh. Depicting the deity Ganesh in Paharpur Style.

Ganesh is shown seated, his more usual position, he holds the elephant goad and the chowrie fan in his 2 raised hands one lower hand offers a blessing and the other an unidentifiable item, possibly a radish to which he is very partial

In India’s, West Bengal they made a specialty of terracotta temples, with sculpted decoration from the same material as the main brick construction.

Terracotta tiles have a long history in many parts of the world. Many ancient and traditional architectural styles included more elaborate sculptural elements than plain roof tiles, such as Chinese Imperial roof decoration and the antefix of Western classical architecture.

The soft colour on this artwork adds a lot to its presence. It’s in good condition except for a couple of very small chips as clearly seen in the photo just under the left knee and it does not disturb the balance of the artwork.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Asian Art

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If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

Archives: Art For Sale

A Superb Old Pair of Ancestor Figures from Aitos Area East Timor

A Superb Old New Guinea Keram River Ancestor Figure East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea

INQUIRE HERE

A Fine Old Collection of 58 Clay & Metal Buddhist Votives Burma Myanmar 18th -19th Century

A Fine Old Amulet Figure West Nepal late 19th – Early 20th Century

A Superb New Guinea Humboldt Bay Tapa Bark Cloth Painting West Papua

A Superb Large New Guinea Lake Sentani Bark Cloth Tapa Painting West Papua

A Superb Old Japanese Jizaikagi Hearth Hook 19th Century Japan

INQUIRE HERE

A Superb Old Burmese Glazed Ceramic Architectural Tile Depicting Buddhas 18th C

A Fine Old Nepalese Carved Wood Figure of the Goddess Cunda Devi 18th Century

INQUIRE HERE

A Fine Old Clay Temple Tile depicting the Deity Ganesh West Bengal India 13th-16th Century

INQUIRE HERE

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