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A Pair of Fine Old New Guinea Sacred Flute Stoppers Middle Sepik River Papua New Guinea

A Pair of Fine Old Sacred Flute Stopper Ornaments from the Middle Sepik River in the East Sepik Province  of Papua New Guinea

This pair of old Flute Stoppers are finely carved & painted in the form of anthropomorphic long-beaked Birdmen Ancestor Figures.

Birds in New Guinea art can be important clan totems and also anthropomorphic spirit beings that are half-man; primordial bird-men and bird-women, who originally created the sacred musical instruments, consisting of bamboo flutes and slit gongs that were kept within the ceremonial houses and played a central role in the ritual life of their communities.

For many New Guinea peoples, flutes are among the most sacred and important of all musical instruments. Sacred flutes were made from hollow cylinders of bamboo and played, like a Western flute, by blowing through a hole in the side of the instrument near the upper end. The tops of these flutes were frequently decorated with ornamental flute stoppers like these two examples.  Some of the finest artworks made in the Sepik River area were the sacred Flute Stoppers.

These sacred flutes were used in pairs and were kept hidden in the Men’s Ceremonial House or haus tambaran.  The sound of the flutes is the voice of specific honored ancestors and they bear their personal names & are given great respect.  Sacred Flutes were only seen by initiated men and played during important ceremonies.

Provenance: The Mrs. Elizabeth Pryce Collection Sydney;  Pryce was one of the finest Australian Oceanic Art Collectors and most of her collection was sold at Sotheby’s Paris on October 10th 2018.

The Todd Barlin Collection New Guinea 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 Fine Old Japanese Mask of Fudō Myōō for Noh Theatre Performances

A Fine Old Japanese Fudō Myōō  Mask for Noh Theatre Performances of Chobuku Soga

Fudo Myo-o is a Japanese Buddhist Deity (also known as Acala) the God of Fire.

Fudu Myo-o translates to “the immovable or unshakable one.” He is the greatest of the five Myo-o (five wisdom kings).

Fudō Myōō is the most widely represented of the Buddhist deities known as Myōō, or Kings of Brightness. A fierce protector of Buddhist Law, he is a direct emanation of the Buddha Dainichi Nyorai, the principal Buddha of Esoteric Buddhism.

The Fudō Myōō may look enraged, but his purpose is to transform anger into salvation. In Japanese culture, if a Fudo Myoo mask is hung in a home, the house will not move in the event of an earthquake.

I am uncertain about the exact age of this mask but I think it is likely from the late 19th – early 20th Century. The mask comes on a high-quality stand that makes the mask appear to be floating in the air, it can be used on a table or shelf.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Japanese & Asian Art

See more Fine Japanese Art in Japanese Art Gallery
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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 Finely Carved New Guinea Eagle Totem Sepik River area Papua New Guinea

A Finely Carved New Guinea Eagle Totem Sepik River area Papua New Guinea

This beautiful carved & painted wood figure of an Eagle is from the Sepik River area of New Guinea.

I am not sure of the area of the Sepik it was made but it has a Waskuk feel to it partially because of the ochre painting.

The Kwoma People live in the Waskuk Hills area on the upper Sepik River area.  I am not sure if this bird figure is actually a used ceremonial carving or just a decorative artwork. I bought this bird because it is good art. The muscular-looking bird has a feel that it could have been a medieval gargoyle-type figure.  I have really enjoyed looking at this sculpture each day.

Birds and anthropomorphic birdmen are part of Sepik River art, they can be important clan totems and also anthropomorphic spirit beings that are half-man. Primordial bird-men and bird-women, originally created the sacred musical instruments, consisting of bamboo flutes and slit gongs that were kept within the ceremonial houses and played a central role in the ritual life of their communities.

The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art

INQUIRE HERE

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 New Guinea Neckrest Middle Sepik River Papua New Guinea

A Fine Old New Guinea Dog Shaped Neckrest or Headrest from the Middle Sepik River Area Papua New Guinea

This finely carved Dog shaped Neckrest is from the Iatmul or Sawos People who live in the Middle Sepik River area in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea.

Some Neckrests, used by elders, served as marks of secular and religious authority, they are often adorned with images of spirits, ancestors, or other supernatural beings, and some also had magical properties.

The headrest is imbued with an especially significant spirituality because of its association with the mystical aura of sleep. Sleep was recognized as the most intimate relationship with the spirit realm, therefore the decoration on headrests was especially intertwined with their spiritual beliefs. Furthermore, the human head is associated with concepts of power, therefore anything that was created to support this power was subsequently revered.

The artist who carved this Neckrest was very skilled, the standing dog looks as if it’s in motion walking.  It has an old rope where it was hung on the wall when not in use. Dating from the 1940s.  This Dog Neckrest is one of my favorite  New Guinea sculptures.

For Western people, the idea of this kind of wood pillow or neckrest looks extremely uncomfortable but almost every culture in the world made and used wood neckrests so they must have been ok sleeping.  In Papua New Guinea some tribes had a large hairdo that they didn’t want to flatten while sleeping hence the wood neckrest kept their hair in good shape.

Dogs in New Guinea arrived with people that navigated their way through populating the Pacific Islands. The New Guinea dogs look much like the Australia Dingo.  Dogs have great importance for the people on the Island of New Guinea, dogs are essential for hunting wild boar & cassowary (a large flightless bird like an emu). When men go out to hunt they always take their dogs with them to help find and corner these animals.

Dogs also have a very important place in the mythology & ceremonial life of Melanesians. Dogs can also be a clan totem.

The other aspect of Dogs in New Guinea is that their canine teeth the sharp ones at the front are an important type of traditional wealth after the dogs die their teeth are saved and pierced at the top of the tooth and made into necklaces and other beautiful ornaments. The dogs were so important as traditional wealth the Germans before WW1 made them out of porcelain in Germany and then used as money to pay the local people to work on copra plantations.

Provenance:  The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea and Sepik River Art

INQUIRE HERE

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 Coco de Mer Coconut box from the Seychelles Islands

See more Fine Tribal Folk Art in Tribal and Folk Art Gallery

A superb Coco de Mer Coconut box from the Seychelles Islands

Coco de Mer is a rare species of palm tree native to the Seychelles archipelago in the Indian Ocean, and is the subject of various legends and lore. Coco de Mer is endemic to the Seychelles islands of Praslin and Curieuse. Before the Seychelles were discovered and settled, nuts of this species were sometimes carried by the ocean currents to distant shores, such as those of the Maldives, where the tree was unknown. These floating nuts did not germinate. The exceptional size and suggestive form of the nut, the circumstances of its discovery, and some unusual qualities of the trees have given rise to several legends.

The nut of the Coco de Mer is very large (the largest seed in the plant kingdom) and is oddly shaped, being the shape and size of a woman’s disembodied buttocks on one side, and a woman’s belly and thighs on the other side. Not surprisingly, this nut was viewed by people in other parts of the world as a rare and fascinating object with mythological and even magical properties. The nature and origin of this extraordinary nut were mysterious, and the propagation of the tree was not understood.

The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea & unusual art and 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 Vanuatu War Club Pentecost Island Vanuatu ( New Hebrides)19th Century

A Superb Old Vanuatu War Club Pentecost Island Vanuatu ( New Hebrides) 19th Century

This beautiful old Club is from Pentecost Island in Vanuatu. Carved from a single piece of hardwood into an elegant elongated leaf form. The is an upraised medial ridge from the tip of the club to the start of the handle and an unusual section of carving that would almost certainly have a specific meaning known only by the old men who owned them. The conical-shaped butt is wrapped with a human hair string undoubtedly so your hand won’t slip when sweaty.

This elegant paddle-shaped club is a rare type that, according to Felix Speiser, was found only on Pentecost Island. (Speiser, Ethnology of Vanuatu: an Early Twentieth Century Study, Honolulu, 1996, p. 207). The raised form carved on the blade and the sharp, striking edge that projects from one side of the head are characteristic of the style. Here the rippled surface of the wood lends the club an organic, leaf-like quality. Human hair is wound around the pommel, presumably to improve the grip when wielding the club.

In my opinion, this is the most beautifully shaped club out of the many types made in Vanuatu, even in comparison to other Pacific Islands Club types it stands out aesthetically.

I went to Pentecost Island to see the ” Land Divers ” in 1987, this ceremonial diving off a huge tower with vine ropes attached to your ankles is part of the initiation into a secret men’s society where over one’s lifetime you can keep obtaining a higher grade in the secret society. Each Island in Vanuatu has its own graded secret societies.

During the Land Diving ceremony, there were old men dancing & signing & carrying very old clubs, I asked about the old clubs and none of them were for sale, these are important ceremonial objects of prestige &  were family heirlooms. I saw mostly the domed-shaped clubs with nobs but none of this rarer type listed here.

The club dates from the late 19th Century and it has a deep old patina from long handling.  The club is in very good shape for its age and there are no restorations. The club was likely collected in the late 19th Century which means the club could be significantly older.

I have many 19th Century Oceanic Clubs for sale from my collection 

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic and Vanuatu Art

I first went to Papua New Guinea in 1985 for an adventure & what I found was that I really enjoyed being with the people of New Guinea, over the next 38 years I spent extensive time collecting and documenting traditional art & ceremonies in remote areas of Papua New Guinea & West Papua, The Solomon Islands & Vanuatu & the other Pacific Islands countries. During these travels, I made major collections of New Guinea & Oceanic Art for major Museums and Public Art Galleries

I was honoured by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in1996 (now the Musee Quai Branly) for the exhibition “Asmat et Mimika d’ Irian Jaya April 1996 At THE MUSEE NATIONAL des ARTS D’AFRIQUE et d’ OCEANIE, Paris

See my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY showing many of the exhibitions i have been involved with around the world in the past 40 years   https://www.oceanicartsaustralia.com/about/exhibition-and-publications/

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 & Oceanic Art. Sydney is just a couple hours’ flight to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbors.

INQUIRE HERE

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 Mumuye Figure Benue River Valley Region Nigeria Africa

A Fine Old Mumuye Figure Benue River Valley Region in Nigeria West Africa

This fine older and used Mumuye Figure is from the Benue River Valley Region of Nigeria Africa. This figure does not depict ancestors but rather incarnates tutelary spirits. The figures have many functions both ceremonial and used by traditional healers.

These bold forms of Mumuye Sculpture appeared alongside modern Western artworks in William Rubin’s 1984 exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, ‘Primitivism’ in Twentieth-Century Art, and again when the theme of juxtaposition was reprised exactly a quarter-century later in the Foundation Beyeler’s own Visual Encounters: Africa, Oceania, and Modern Art.

A Mumuye figure in the British Museum that once attracted Henry Moore, on p.105 of Notebook no.3 of 1922-4 (the so-called Primitive Art notebook), in which Moore made drawings of many sculptures then on display in the BM. The sculpture again caught Moore’s attention in 1951 when it was displayed in an exhibition of tribal art that formed part of the Festival of Britain.

Again echoing Henry Moore’s cue, the strongest claim to distinctive handling of space in what, since the later 1960s, have been identified as Mumuye figure sculptures were made recently by the art historian Frank Herreman, ‘The use of negative space between the arms and the torso represents the most important plastic feature of a Mumuye figure. Beginning as an artist’s observation about an unfamiliar artwork, negative space has become a characteristic attribute of figures attributed to Mumuye’s ethnicity.

The Art historian Frank Herreman writes “

Negative spaces are not absences but positively delineated, fully present voids. The description feels apt not just for style but more generally for the historical study of Mumuye arts. For over forty years, these three figures constituted the sum of metropolitan evidence for Mumuye figure sculptures, although they were not recognized as such until the late 1960s when a ‘Mumuye style’ was delineated in the context of examples flooding into Europe from Nigeria.

I have collected a few antique African Sculptures based solely on their forms, Mumuye &  & Yaka / Suku Figures from the Congo.  I wanted to see what they looked like next to sculptures from Papua New Guinea & they look great together.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic and African 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.

INQUIRE HERE

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 Maori Canoe Paddle Polynesian Art from New Zealand Circa 1860

A Superb Old Maori Canoe Paddle Polynesian Art from New Zealand Circa 1860s 

This very fine old Maori Canoe Paddle or Hoe would date from approximately the 1860s, that was the date given to me by the late DR Roger Neich Maori Art expert & author who worked at the Auckland Museum for decades.

The Paddle is beautifully decorated with incised designs over the entire Paddle Blade on both sides.  There is a pair of ancestors’ eyes on one side of the blade and the finial of the handle has a stylized head in profile (see detailed photos).  The paddle is carved from a single piece of hardwood and is in very good original condition.

The carved spiral designs are so precise and evenly spaced that the artist was a genius master carver & almost certainly there would be other artworks by the same carver in museum collections in New Zealand & the UK.

Canoes or Waka are of great significance to the Maori as that is how they came to New Zealand in their voyaging to new lands from the ancestral home called Hawaiki and the various Maori Tribes recall their ancestor’s arrival by Canoe to Aotearoa (long white cloud) – the Māori name now used for New Zealand

Canoe voyaging implements like paddles & canoe bailers are essential to canoe travel.  Maori artists made some of the most beautiful artworks ever made by human beings.

The Paddle comes with a nice custom made so that it can be displayed on the floor or on a table

Provenance: Old Collection UK and The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic & Polynesian Art

I first went to Papua New Guinea in 1985 for an adventure & what I found was that I really enjoyed being with the people of New Guinea, over the next 38 years I spent extensive time collecting and documenting traditional art & ceremonies in remote areas of Papua New Guinea & West Papua, The Solomon Islands & Vanuatu & the other Pacific Islands countries. During these travels, I made major collections of New Guinea and Oceanic Art for major Museums and Public Art Galleries

I was honored by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in1996 (now the Musee Quai Branly) for the exhibition “Asmat et Mimika d’ Irian Jaya April 1996 At THE MUSEE NATIONAL des ARTS D’AFRIQUE et d’ OCEANIE, Paris

See my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY  where there are photos of Exhibitions that I provided the artworks for over the past 40 years.

I have artwork for Museums & 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 & Oceanic Art. Sydney is close to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbors.

INQUIRE HERE

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 Maori Orators Paddle Polynesian Art from New Zealand C.1900

A Superb Old Maori Orators Paddle from New Zealand C.1900 Fine Polynesian Art

This fine old Maori Orators Paddle is beautifully decorated over the entire paddle with deeply incised designs; the most prominent part being the front of the paddle blade which depicts two stylized Ancestor Figures and below the largest figure is a partial Manaia figure which is a mythological creature in Māori culture. There are inset pearl shell eyes on the figures and a few other areas of the paddle as seen in the photos.

The back of the paddle blade has two distinct designs; Koru is a spiral shape based on the appearance of a new unfurling silver fern frond at the top and bottom areas and another design that I think might be kowhaiwhai; a Maori house rafter pattern in the middle section of the back of the paddle blade. The shaft of the paddle is fully incised with Koru and other design elements and ends with a Manaia or bird’s head.

When a respected person was speaking publicly, they often held a prop such as an Orators Staff or Orators Paddle which gave the speaker the full attention of the gathering. Maori artists made some of the most beautiful artworks ever made by human beings.

A similarly carved paddle attributed to the Maori Master Carver Tene Waitere (Ngati Tarawhai) and held in the Canterbury Museum collection see Carved Histories: Rotorua Ngati Tarawhai carving by Roger Neich. P. 249. Figure 15.46

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic & Polynesian Art

The Paddle comes with a nice custom made so that it can be displayed on the floor or on a table

I first went to Papua New Guinea in 1985 for an adventure & what I found was that I really enjoyed being with the people of New Guinea, over the next 38 years I spent extensive time spent collecting and documenting traditional art & ceremonies in remote areas of Papua New Guinea & West Papua, The Solomon Islands & Vanuatu & New Zealand, Tonga the other Pacific Islands countries. During these travels, I made major collections of New Guinea & Oceanic Art for major Museums and Public Art Galleries

I was honoured by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in1996 (now the Musee Quai Branly) for the exhibition “Asmat et Mimika d’ Irian Jaya April 1996 At THE MUSEE NATIONAL des ARTS D’AFRIQUE et d’ OCEANIE, Paris

See all of the links & photos in my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY and there is the link to the article in the prestigious Louvre Magazine 1996

I have artwork for Museums & 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 specialises in New Guinea & Oceanic Art. Sydney is just a couple hours’ flight to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbours.

 

INQUIRE HERE

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 Fijian War Club Polynesia 19th Century

A Fine Old Fijian War Club Polynesia 19th Century

This fine old Fijian War Club called Sali is of very good form. The club has incised circular designs on both sides of the club finial and the whole club with deep reddish-brown patina from generations of use.

Made from a single piece of hardwood, trees were grown specifically to be the right shape for a good club. Clubs were not only weapons but objects of veneration that held mana or great spiritual power. This example is likely early 19th Century, as it was collected in the late 19th century and at the time it was already significantly old.  In pre-European contact times, there was always the threat or actuality of fighting between different nearby tribal groups and villages, alliances were made and broken and time of violence was common in Fiji.  This club is in very good condition with only a small chip at the top of the club as seen in the photos, there are no restorations. When you hold it in your hands you can feel a perfect balance and weight that the artist achieved.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Fijian & Polynesian Art.

I first went to Papua New Guinea in 1985 for an adventure & what I found was that I really enjoyed being with the people of New Guinea, over the next 38 years I spent extensive time spent collecting and documenting traditional art & ceremonies in remote areas of Papua New Guinea & West Papua, The Solomon Islands & Vanuatu & New Zealand & Tonga and the other Pacific Islands countries. During these travels, I made major collections of New Guinea & Oceanic Art for major Museums and Public Art Galleries

I was honoured by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in1996 (now the Musee Quai Branly) for the exhibition “Asmat et Mimika d’ Irian Jaya April 1996 At THE MUSEE NATIONAL des ARTS D’AFRIQUE et d’ OCEANIE, Paris

See all of the links & photos in my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY and there is the link to the article in the prestigious Louvre Magazine 1996

I have artwork for Museums & 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 specialises in New Guinea & Oceanic Art. Sydney is just a couple hours’ flight to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbours. 

INQUIRE HERE

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.

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