Art For Sale Archive - Page 29 of 49 - Oceanic Arts Australia

A Superb Old New Guinea Chiefs Ornaments Humboldt Bay area West Papua Irian Jaya Indonesia

A Superb Old New Guinea Chiefs Ornaments Humboldt Bay area West Papua Irian Jaya Indonesia

This rare & beautiful set of traditional ornaments is from the Humboldt Bay Area on the North Coast of West Papua Irian Jaya Indonesia. This set of chiefly ornaments came from a man in Humboldt Bay, he said they were his grandfather’s ornaments that they had sat unused for two generations and he wanted to sell them. They would then likely date from the mid-19th century or earlier. They consist of a finely woven belt decorated with Nassa shell & black seed beads, a shell ring necklace to match the belt, along with many earrings a nose ornament, and wrist ornaments. These were family heirlooms but they no longer had the traditional value they once had. Shell ornaments were an important type of traditional wealth that was held by families. Previously you could not marry without a significant shell wealth dowry that the young man’s family had to provide as payment to the young woman’s family.

This set of ornaments was one of two I field collected in 1986, the other set was sold to the John Freide Collection in New York and I retained this set for 34 years in my private collection of traditional ornaments. I kept the better set of the two. The set consists of twelve (12) ornaments and can only be sold as a set.

Published: “Adornment, exchange & myth in the South Seas: A personal journey through their material culture and magic. by Wolfgang Grulke 2022 Page

The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Art and West Papuan 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 & 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.

A Superb Old New Guinea Wood Kina Necklace Mendi Valley Southern Highlands Papua New Guinea

A Superb Old New Guinea Wood Kina Necklace Mendi Valley Southern Highlands Papua New Guinea

This rare old Wood Kina Pendant is from the Mendi Valley area in the Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. This rare type of object is called a Somp Kina. In New Guinea, the Gold Lipped Pearl Shell or Pinctada maxima is a very highly prized type of traditional wealth. Shells, in general, were highly valued as traditional wealth by the people in the interior of New Guinea where they had to travel through trading from the coast where they were collected to hundreds of kilometers through some of the most rugged terrain on the planet. These were used as an ornament during traditional and were also used as a traditional currency to pay bridal dowries paid by a young mans family. In pre-European times even a small piece of gold pearl shell was valuable, this rare type of ornament was carved from wood in the form of two crescent-shaped gold-lipped pearls that then had only a small piece of real shell set in resin on the wood ornament. The edge of the wood pendant is decorated with jobs tears or Coix lacryma-jobi seeds. This display showed how much gold-lipped Kina Shell was valued.

These old Somp Kina pendants are a very rare type of traditional currency, in the months I spent travelling around Mendi Valley and the Southern Highlands I only ever collected 3-4 examples.

This old Somp Kina I field was collected in Mendi Valley in 1985 and they were in the famous Elizabeth Pryce Collection for 35 years.

Provenance: Collected by Todd Barlin in Mendi in 1985, The Elizabeth Pryce Collection Sydney, The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Art & Oceanic Art

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

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.

A Superb Old New Guinea Karawari River Aripa Cult Figure East Sepik River Province Papua New Guinea

A Superb Old New Guinea Karawari River Aripa Cult Figure East Sepik River Province Papua New Guinea

This fine old Cult Figure called Aripa is from the upper Karawari River area in the East Sepik River Province of Papua New Guinea.

These superb artworks from the Karawari River area are some of the finest artworks from all of Papua New Guinea and even in ” World Art ” they are very strong examples of human creativity and spirituality.

The Karawari River is one of the numerous tributaries of the great Sepik River, which drains into the north coast of New Guinea. In a series of caves and rock shelters along the upper reaches of the Karawari, the Ewa people kept a remarkable series of wood carvings like this figure that were created and used by Ewa men during their lifetimes, the carvings were kept after their owners’ deaths. Preserved in the caves for generations, some of the carvings are between 200 and 400 years old, making them some of the oldest surviving examples of wood sculpture from New Guinea.

This figure is not in the ” ancient category ” of being 200- 400 years old as the ancient Karawari Cave Figures, it is more likely late 19th Century to early 20th Century but definitely a used figure. It has the correct old dry patina just like the ancient Karawari Figures. Nowadays you can see many fake Karawari Figures for sale they are brown wood & heavily weathered which is the opposite of how an old genuine Karawari Figure should look.

There are numerous variations in these figures, reflecting the individual visions of the sculptors who created them but the carvings are of three basic types. The first consists of thin, silhouette-like one-legged male figures like my example seemingly made to be viewed in profile. The second is plank-like female figures shown in frontal view, and the third are small wood heads mounted on spikes.

The Ewa practiced agriculture but they were also heavily dependent on hunting for their livelihood. The rich rain forests that surrounded them provided a variety of game, including wild pigs, tree kangaroos, and cassowaries. The one-legged male figures, called aripa, played a vital part in hunting magic. Representing individual helping spirits, each aripa served as a means by which an Ewa man could maintain contact with, and receive aid from, his helping spirit to bring him success in hunting.

The carvings from the Karawari caves first came to the attention of the wider world about fifty years ago when the Ewa, having changed or abandoned their former beliefs, began to bring the carvings out of their caves and offer them for sale to Westerners. As a result, today these remarkable works of art from the Karawari can be seen in museums and private collections throughout the world.

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

See all of the photos in my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY https://www.oceanicartsaustralia.com/about/exhibition-and-publications/

and there is the link to the article in the prestigious Louvre Magazine 1996 https://www.oceanicartsaustralia.com/art-for-sale/louvre-magazine-june-1996-review-of-exhibition-asmat-et-mimika-d-irian-jaya-april-1996-at-the-musee-national-des-arts-dafrique-et-d-oceanie-paris/

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.

Fine Old New Guinea Massim Wealth Stones Milne Bay Province Papua New Guinea

Fine Old New Guinea Massim Wealth Stones Milne Bay Province Papua New Guinea

These fine old and used ceremonially Wealth Stone Axe Blades are from the Massim Culture in the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea.

These beautiful Stones are also sometimes bound to a ceremonial Wood Axe which their sole purpose is to show the beautiful Stone. You can see the hafted Stone Wealth Axe example on my website. These Stones have great importance to the Massim Culture, they are used & traded over many generations, when you see them up close they have a green colour and a smooth feeling from long use and handling. These Stones are from the 19th Century or they could be much earlier.

These Wealth Stone Axe Blades were used in the complex Kula trading circle that built lifetime trading partners & commitments between a large group of small islands in the Milne Bay Province. Kula valuables are traded purely for the purpose of enhancing one’s social status and prestige. Carefully prescribed customs and traditions surround the ceremonies that accompany the exchanges which establish strong, ideally lifelong relationships between the exchange parties (karayta’u, “partners”). The act of giving is a display of the greatness of the giver, accompanied by shows of exaggerated modesty in which the value of what is given is actively played down. Such a partnership involves strong mutual obligations such as hospitality, protection, and assistance. Kula valuables never remain for long in the hands of the recipients; rather, they must be passed on to other partners within a certain amount of time, thus constantly circling around the ring. However, even temporary possession brings prestige and status. Important chiefs can have hundreds of partners while less significant participants may only have fewer than a dozen.

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

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

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.

Rare Old New Guinea Wealth Axes from Bougainville Island Papua New Guinea

Rare Old New Guinea Wealth Axes from Bougainville Island Papua New Guinea

These old and beautifully shaped Wealth Stone Axes are only found in Bougainville or Buka Islands in the now semi-autonomous area of Papua New Guinea. They are purely an object of traditional wealth that can be used to pay bridal dowries or compensation over disputes over land or resources. Sometimes these stones will have a twisted bamboo handle that is only to better show the stone. As far as I know, this shape is unique in Papua New Guinea or the nearby Solomon Islands. Made from the hard stone of elongated form and tapered to a slightly flaring end on both ends of the stones. They have that refined aesthetic like a the Micronesian outlier bowls from Wuvulu Island. These two Stone Wealth Axes are 19th Century or earlier but they could also easily be 200 to 300 years old. One thing for sure is they are rare, in my 38 years as a collector and oceanic art dealer I have had three examples, these two plus one that had the twisted bamboo handle.

Though Bougainville and Buka Islands are now semi-autonomous areas of Papua New Guinea, culturally they are more related to the people of the Western Solomon Islands which is just a short boat ride away. In previous times people moved back & forth freely between the Western Solomon’s & Bougainville and Buka Islands. Bougainville and Buka Islands just like the Solomon Islands have many indigenous forms of wealth, made from shell, porpoise and dog’s teeth, feathers and stone, used for mortuary and bride exchanges, compensations, and sometimes commodity exchanges. They equate European definitions of ‘currency’ or ‘money’ to widely varying degrees (sometimes ‘valuables’ or ‘wealth’ are more accurate terms). Each island, and sometimes different groups on the same island, had their own valuables. Some rare forms were sacred and kept only by chiefs and priests. Little is known about these rare Wealth Stones Axes, if you know any more about them I would be very happy to hear from you.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art

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

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.

A Superb Old New Guinea War Shield Ramu River Area Madang Province Papua New Guinea

A Superb Old New Guinea War Shield Ramu River Area Madang Province Papua New Guinea dating from the 19th Century

This fine old shield is from the Rao People in the Middle Ramu River area in the Madang Province of Papua New Guinea. Carved from a single piece of hardwood of elongated oval form. The beautifully carved designs in high relief consist of an upraised and elongated triangular shape covered with incised designs. The designs are also on either side of the upraised triangular area. The designs are highlighted in red & white ochre painting. The shield is very old and considering it was collected in 1927 it is 19th Century & probably stone carved.

The designs on these shields are almost always stylized faces representing a mythical ancestor with great power to protect the shield owner in battle. Each shield had a personal name. Designs are also said to frighten the enemy into being stunned where they can be easily killed.

In the informative reference book : Shields of Melanesia 2005 edited by Harry Beran & Barry Craig, the chapter on Ramu River Shields pages 101 – 103 have some good information about them. This chapter 4.5 written by Dr Barry Craig states ” Shields from the Banaro and Rao people have been traded to different areas, not much cultural information about these shields has been published but Richard Thurnwald indicated in a sketch he made in 1916 that the shields were displayed on the sides of the walls of the Men’s Cult House at the rear where the Scared Flutes were stored “. Craig writes further ” there appear to be two relatively distinct types of shields and two sizes, defined by the size of triangular upraised ridge and the designs painted on either side of the wedge, both types of shields were made in two sizes being average 123cm x 48cm and the smaller version like this shield of 66cm x 26cm” In the book page 103 figure 4.40 is a photo of a similar but slightly smaller shield at 37.7cm x 17.3cm , these smaller shields were worn on the front of the chest protecting a warriors torso while leaving him free to use a bow and arrows.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art

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

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.

A Fine Old New Guinea Ancestral Spirit Figure Goam River Ramu Area Madang Province Papua New Guinea

A Fine Old New Guinea Ancestral Spirit Figure Goam River Ramu Area Madang Province Papua New Guinea

This interesting sculpture of an Ancestor Spirit Figure is from the Goam or Misingini River in the Middle Ramu area of Madang Province in Papua New Guinea. This type of figure often has a series of hooks that make up the face but in this example, there is the primary standing figure that has three birdman faces or masks on top of him.

In this sculpture, the genius of the artist and his skill are clear to see. The figure has a good balance with the stacking of the figures and all of the faces appear to be men with incised beards.

This sculpture comes from an ancient tradition of artworks made to connect people to their ancestors & the spirit world. Spirits or mythical beings associated with specific clans whose powers assure the success of agriculture, hunting, fishing, and other human endeavors.

When I bought the figure it had no way to stand independently before it got a custom-made wood stand. The photos above don’t show the stand as they were deep etched.

The figure was collected in the collected in the late 1960s so it has some age, at least 50 years.

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

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

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 Dance Paddle Austral Islands French Polynesia 19th Century

A Superb Old Dance Paddle from the Austral Islands in French Polynesia 19th Century, the Austral Islands are the southernmost group of islands in French Polynesia.

Carved from a single piece of medium-density wood the tiny chip-carved designs cover the entire surface on both sides of the paddle and the finial is carved in a rectangular shape that has three dancing figures linked hands to knees in a row on both sides of the paddle finial.

This Dance Paddle is in good condition for its age which is rare, it is dating from the 1870-1880 period when these were made for trade with visiting European ships that occasionally stopped by the islands for fresh water. In the pre-European contact era, there were likely similar Dance Paddles made and used for traditional ceremonies and as objects of prestige.

According to the expert on these paddles: Rhys Richards in The Tribal Arts Magazine (2012, pp 141 – 145),

“Though widely called ‘paddles,’ these objects are not functional paddles. They are ‘paddle shaped,’ but their sizes are too extreme; their shafts are too weak, and they are thoroughly unsuitable for use as paddles. Consequently, it has been assumed that they were emblems of rank or status, for ceremonial rather than functional use. But an exhaustive survey of the historical sources has confirmed that there are no known eyewitness accounts of their use or function. No local name is recorded for them, anywhere, before 1890, though they are sometimes called ‘hoe‘ after the Tahitian word for a paddle. Most Austral Island paddles are dated roughly between 1820 – 1840, mostly made probably on the Island of Raivavae, and are generally described as made for trade items, with their original use being treated as something of a mystery. There are good grounds for asserting however that few if any ‘paddles’ were made and exported after 1842. Firstly, the population decline was extreme, particularly among the adults, and dead men made no paddles. By 1840 the total population on Tabuai had fallen to 250 and on Raivave to 360…Actual carvers would have been even fewer. Moreover, after the French took over Tahiti in 1842, trade visits to the Austral Islands declined.”

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Polynesian and Oceanic Art

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

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 New Guinea Ancestor Figure Murik Lakes Area East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea

A Superb Old New Guinea Ancestor Figure Murik Lakes Area East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea

This beautiful female Ancestor Figure is from the Lower Sepik River area in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea. In the form of a younger woman in full health and with a warm happy smile on her face. Standing on a rounded base she is holding her hands to her chest just above her full breasts, she is wearing a grass skirt of a married woman and has a fine shell pendant made from ground conus shell. The whole figure is covered in red Sepik ochre and white lime to highlight her eyes and mouth.

In the Sepik area, each clan had carved figures which is associated with specific ancestors and totemic species. These ancestral and totemic beings are represented by wooden figures kept in the men’s ceremonial houses, these important ceremonial figures each had its own personal name. Ancestor figures were an important part of a communities spiritual well-being, they offered protection from malevolent forces and help to ensure fertility for gardens growing large yams and taro.

This ancestor figure has been in my home for quite a while now & I never tire of looking at her because she has such brightness and warmth, an optimistic Sculpture

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

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

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 New Guinea Ancestor Figure Massim Milne Bay Province Papua New Guinea

A Superb Old New Guinea Ancestor Figure Massim Milne Bay Province Papua New Guinea 19th Century

Massim Carved Wood Ancestor Figure, Milne Bay Province in Eastern Papua New Guinea. Collected in New Guinea by Captain William Campbell Thomson circa 1890’s.

This rare and early ancestor figure is thought to be an image of a handicapped female ancestor , a person that was known to or a relative of the master carver. Often in New Guinea people with deformities were thought to have supernatural powers like a sorcerer or witch. Finely carved in a naturalistic style the woman with her left arm shorter and an obvious deformity. Her strong facial expression and she has some incised designs on the forehead and down the centre of her body. She looks like she is wearing a hat with small top but it is probably a hair style or headdress. She is carved from a single piece of hardwood and the incised designs and facial features are highlighted with white lime.

The Massim are well known for other types of beautiful artworks like their intricately carved canoe ornaments and fantastically imaginative Lime Spatulas. The Massim are also known for their great maritime skills and a complex trading system called the Kula Ring. Kula is also the name for certain ornaments & wealth objects like stone axe blades and shell money. These valuables traded purely for purposes of enhancing one’s social status and prestige. Carefully prescribed customs and traditions surround the ceremonies that accompany the exchanges which establish strong, ideally lifelong relationships between the exchange parties (karayta’u, “partners”). The act of giving is a display of the greatness of the giver, accompanied by shows of exaggerated modesty in which the value of what is given is actively played down. Such a partnership involves strong mutual obligations such as hospitality, protection and assistance. Kula valuables never remain for long in the hands of the recipients; rather, they must be passed on to other partners within a certain amount of time, thus constantly circling around the ring. However, even temporary possession brings prestige and status. Important chiefs can have hundreds of partners while less significant participants may only have fewer than a dozen.

One must conclude that this is one of the rarest of Massim Figures that were made solely for traditional ancestor worship and spirituality.

Provenance:

Captain William Campbell Thomson Australia ( 1851 – 1934 ) He collected this figure in New Guinea Circa 1890s

The Dr Harry Beran Collection Cambridge UK

The John Freide Collection New York. Most of this fine collection also known as The Jolika Collection now in the De Young Museum of Fine Art in San Francisco

The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Art and Oceanic Art and Asian Art.

William Campbell Thomson was born in 1855 in Glasgow, Scotland. Captain William Campbell Thomson’s obituary notes that he commanded A.U.S.N. steamers from 1875 to 1919 most notably, the Arawatta.

During his 44 years of service, he travelled the eastern Australian coast, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Fiji and other parts of the South Pacific. Thomson was a well respected seaman who was the author of at least three publications including “Gulf of Carpentaria”, “History of the N.E. Coast of Australia” and “The Early History of Australia”.

Thomson gathered a very fine collection of items, including items from inhabitants of northern Queensland, PNG and Fiji. Part of the collection, left to one of his daughters, Eulie Round (born Esther Eulalie Thomson), rested in a house in Caloundra, Queensland, from 1935 until it was moved to Brisbane many decades later. The rest of his collection was sold at Pickles Auctions in Sydney Australia on September 5^th & 6th in 1986.

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.

Archives: Art For Sale

A Superb Old New Guinea Chiefs Ornaments Humboldt Bay area West Papua Irian Jaya Indonesia

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A Superb Old New Guinea Wood Kina Necklace Mendi Valley Southern Highlands Papua New Guinea

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A Superb Old New Guinea Karawari River Aripa Cult Figure East Sepik River Province Papua New Guinea

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Fine Old New Guinea Massim Wealth Stones Milne Bay Province Papua New Guinea

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Rare Old New Guinea Wealth Axes from Bougainville Island Papua New Guinea

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A Superb Old New Guinea War Shield Ramu River Area Madang Province Papua New Guinea

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A Fine Old New Guinea Ancestral Spirit Figure Goam River Ramu Area Madang Province Papua New Guinea

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A Superb Old Dance Paddle Austral Islands French Polynesia 19th Century

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A Superb Old New Guinea Ancestor Figure Murik Lakes Area East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea

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A Superb Old New Guinea Ancestor Figure Massim Milne Bay Province Papua New Guinea

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