Art For Sale Archive - Page 31 of 49 - Oceanic Arts Australia

A Fine Old New Guinea Talipun Bride Price Yangoru Area East Sepik Papua New Guinea

A Fine Old New Guinea Talipun Bride Price Yangoru Area East Sepik Papua New Guinea

The Yangoru Boiken people live on the isolated southern slopes of the Prince Alexander Mountains in the East Sepik Province of Papuan New Guinea.

The Talipun or Talipoon is one of the most important types of traditional currency for the Yangoru Boiken people, it consists of a fibre mask attached to a large sea shell. This finely woven mask is without the shell attached, the mask is on a custom-made stand that allows it to float and be easily displayed on a table or shelf. I find the Shells take away from the sculptural beauty of the mask.

The woven fibre masks, often come in different forms that represent important ancestral & or bush spirits that are specific to certain clans. The shells are a pure wealth object. These are used to pay for bride dowry or compensation payments for land disputes or other occasions where compensations must be paid. They are still highly valued in remote communities.

Beautiful old Talipun and Abelam Yam Masks are highly sought by collectors and art collectors who saw the great artistry in these woven sculptures. When seen in a set of several masks together you can see how beautiful they look together ( see above photo of Abelam Wood Heads in a row) I still have a few more beautiful old Talipun with & without the large shells. Please ask if you are interested.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic 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.

A Superb Old New Guinea Pigment Dish Sepik River Area East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea

A Superb Old New Guinea Pigment Dish Sepik River Area East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea and dates from the late 19th Century

This finely carved old pigment dish is from the Middle Sepik River area of Papua New Guinea. Small ornate bowls like this example were used for mixing ochre colors to paint important ceremonial objects. Ochre was mixed with a bit of coconut oil to act as a binder to get it to stick well to the painted surfaces of ceremonial artworks.

This fine example is carved in the form of a turtle or some other small totemic animal. The bowl is incorporated into the body of the turtle figure and the legs are carved outside the bowl. There is a carved turtle head at one end and its tail at the other. Pigment dishes were usually owned by old men who had kept and used them their whole lives. Sometimes they were family heirlooms used over several generations.

Ochre painted on ceremonial objects was said they give the object spiritual energy that brightened the object. Ceremonial artworks were usually repainted each time they were used for a ceremony.

In addition to creating larger works of sacred sculpture, the peoples of the Sepik region have highly developed traditions of decorative arts, as elsewhere in New Guinea, much of Sepik decorative art is devoted to the adornment of the human body. Sepik artists create diverse forms of jewelry, headdresses, and other personal ornaments.

Personal possessions such as this pigment dish or charms, and a variety of paraphernalia associated with the use of betel nut were often superbly crafted and adorned with both the ancestor figures and spirits and other supernatural beings as well as totemic species associated with the owner’s clan.

Provenance: Collected in the 1920s by Dr Edwin Archibald Holland who was in New Guinea working from 1927 to 1933.

The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Art and Oceanic & Aboriginal 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 New Guinea Ceremonial Bark Belt Papuan Gulf Area New Guinea

A Superb New Guinea Ceremonial Bark Belt Papuan Gulf Area New Guinea

This fine old ceremonial Bark Belt is from the Papuan Gulf Area in the Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea. In several areas of Papua New Guinea, men made and wore bark belts like this fine example. In the Papuan Gulf area, only men of a certain level of male initiation could wear a Bark Belt and each clan had specific designs that could be used.

To make a Bark Belt like this the bark would have been stripped off a large tree and while still supple it would have been cut and then carved with the incised clan designs, later when dry they would highlight the carving by adding ochre colour as this example. It would be worn around the waist with other accouterments like leaves & tapa cloth and shell ornaments.

This is a superb example because of the extremely well-carved designs and the near-perfect condition. The Bark Belt was collected in the 1960s and it would date from the 1940s or earlier.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Papua 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 Fine Old New Guinea Basket Hook Figure Sepik River Area Papua New Guinea

A Fine Old New Guinea Basket Hook Figure Sepik River Area Papua New Guinea

This old and well-used Basket Hook Figure is from the Sepik Area in The East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea. I have not yet been able to find a similar Basket Hook that is published to determine the exact area/culture that made the superb sculpture.

In the form of an anthropomorphic bird man that represents a category of powerful ancestral beings called waken. The Basket hook can be read either orientation up or down. For practical use of the hooks are to hang bilum bags from. Basket Hooks had an important practical function, to keep food safe from rodents, when the basket hook is hung from the ceiling by a single string or rope no rodent can climb down that single rope to get to the net bags containing the family food that is hung from the basket hooks. Basket Hooks can be some of the most beautiful artworks made in the Sepik River area. You will see several more of these artworks on my website.

Sometimes small Basket Hooks like this example were used for hanging a man’s magical bag that contained betel nuts and amulets and botanicals used for magic. This small Basket Hook was probably used for that purpose. The hole where it is hung from looks very much like female genitals which is a ” warning sign not to touch ”

Dating from the late 19th – early 20th Century. On a fine custom-made display stand that makes it appear to be floating in air, it can then be displayed on a table or shelf where you can see both sides of the very rare and interesting sculpture.

Provenance: 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 Superb Old New Guinea Neckrest or Headrest Coastal Sepik River Area Papua New Guinea

A Superb Old New Guinea Neckrest or Headrest from the Coastal Sepik River Area Papua New Guinea

This beautifully carved old Headrest / Neckrest was made by a master carver from the Coastal Sepik River area in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea.

This fine sculpture is comprised of stylized Birdnan Ancestor Figures shown on all sides of the Neckrest. Sepik River artists are renowned for energic creativity from their monumental Ceremonial Houses, Ancestor & Spirit Figures, and Masks to the smallest everyday objects that are beautifully carved and decorated.

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 the head or this power was subsequently revered.

Sleeping on a Headrest with ancestors and clan totems protects the person when sleeping from malevolent spirits and dreams. Also, the more practical aspect is in many places in New Guinea men had elaborate hairstyles that they spent time and effort to keep looking their best, The headrest helps protect their hairstyles while sleeping.

Provenance: Collected by Morris Young in Papua New Guinea more than 50 years ago.

The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art

I was honoured by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in 1996 (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

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.

Superb Pair of New Guinea Sago Pegs Abelam People Prince Alexander Mountains East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea

A Superb Pair of Abelam Sago Washing Pegs (for processing sago palm into flour) Abelam People Prince Alexander Mountain Area in the East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea

This fine old pair of Sago Washing Pegs are tools used for processing Sago Palm into Sago Starch Flour for the Abelam People. Sago Pegs were used like Clothes Pin to hold a section of coconut fiber at the end of a trough to act as a sieve to drain away the starch from the interior pounded Sago Palm.

The tops of these Sago Pegs are beautifully carved and ochre painted in the form of an Ancestor’s Head surmounted by a Totemic Bird, this is a visual reminder of the presence of their ancestors in day-to-day activities. Some carvers were famous for their utilitarian carvings like these Sago Pegs and they were highly sought by family members and clan members. They are the finest pair I have ever had in 35 years.

Sago is the main staple food for many people living in Papua New Guinea and West Papua- Irian Jaya. The whole family or extended family would have to go out to make sago flour every 2 weeks or so. First, the people usually have to travel some distance to where there are still many Sago Trees belonging to their clan to cut down and process, they cut a small to medium size tree and then split it down the middle to access the pith inside the tree. This pith is then washed through a sieve and the Sago Peg holds the top of the sieve like a clothes peg. When the sago is washed thru this process it coagulates at the bottom of the sieve where when settles it can be cut into blocks and carried back to the village in homemade backpacks. This will feed a family for 2 weeks or so. Though the Abelam are famous gardeners of ceremonial Yams they also live on Sago. I have accompanied families to make sago a number of times and it is hard work !

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

I was honoured by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in 1996 (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

A Superb Old New Guinea Yina Figure Kwoma People Waskuk Area Upper Sepik River Papua New Guinea

A Superb Large Yina Ceremonial Figure is from the Kwoma People in the Waskuk Area on the Upper Sepik River area of Papua New Guinea.

The Kwoma people and their closely related neighbors the Nukuma and Manambu share a unique tradition revolving around the cultivation of yams. An annual series of rituals associated with the yam harvest ensures the tuber’s continuing abundance and renders it suitable for human consumption. Clans sponsor the events, which are staged in a sequence of three rituals each involving different types of figures.

Yina is one of three distinct ceremonies held annually in the villages of the Kwoma, Nukuma, and Mayo speakers of the Upper Sepik River, in a region generally referred to as the Waskuk Hills. These ceremonies are associated with fertility and the harvesting of yams and the spiritual well-being of their communities.

There are two other Yam Harvest Ceremonies that are associated with a distinctive form of sculpture, Minja & Nogkwi, which specific artworks are and these three ceremonies run in a ceremonial cycle.

Ritual leaders organize the Yina ceremony at yam harvest time. The next two ceremonies feature their own sculpted images of Mindja and Nokwi and must also be performed before the full harvest. Older Yina Figures are hidden in garden huts, away from the village as they have acquired power over time and through use. New carvings are required from time to time; power is not inherent, but develops in the process of carving and painting & ceremonial use.

For the annual ceremony, both old and new sculptures are freshly painted, as their power lies in the bright polychrome ochre paint applied to their surfaces, for the Kwoma people the paint is a magical substance that endows the figures with supernatural power and beauty.

The ceremony takes place inside the men’s Ceremonial House (korob) a platform is built, and one major Yina figure is displayed as a focus along with lesser Yina and other associated figures and pottery heads may be used. The Yina is tied by the shaft to the poles of the platform and further decorated with shell wealth items, a ‘beard’ made of feather down, pig’s tusks, and sometimes a headdress.

During the ceremony, Slit Gong Drums are played and songs of the myth relating to the yam harvest are sung, after the finish of the ceremony the Yina is stripped of its decorations, wrapped tightly in sheaths from the black palm, and returned to the garden hut.

The Yina Spirit gives its owner continuing support throughout the year in gardens, hunting, fighting, and sexual prowess.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art

I was honoured by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in 1996 (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

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 War Shield Asmat People West Papua Irian Jaya Indonesia

A Superb Old New Guinea War Shield Asmat People West Papua Irian Jaya Indonesia

This fine old and well-used shield was collected at Pupis Village on the Wasar River area of the remote Northwest Asmat on the South Coast of West Papua (Irian Jaya) Indonesia. This shield I field was collected in 1985. The carver of this shield had been deceased for a decade according to the Catholic Priest in Sawa Erma which is downstream from Pupis. The carver was the last great master carver or Wow Ipitsj in the area and I have two shields carved by him. The shield would date from the 1940s-1950s

Asmat Shields were important objects that venerated their ancestors, each shield had a personal name and when invoked during warfare the enemy was said to be frightened or stunned and easy to kill.

I spent a lot of time in the Asmat region in the early 1980s and old and used Shields of this quality in the Coastal and Northwest Asmat Areas were rare. Many of the artworks I field collected then 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 at The Musee du Quai Branly the first thing you see is the monumental ancestor poles from the Asmat & Mimika along with Dance Costumes Shields and large Soul Canoe, all of these were field collected by me. Originally they were in an exhibition ” Asmat et Mimika at The National Museum of African and Oceanic Art in 1996 (now that museum is part of The Musee du Quai Branly). The exhibition the Asmat and Mimika in 1996 was published in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine see the link below and a photo of the exhibition above.

Provenance: Exhibited & Published in Oceanic Arts Pacifica: Artworks from The Todd Barlin Collection at the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre Sydney 2016. Published in the exhibition catalog page 63

I have been collecting New Guinea Shields since 1983 when I bought my very shield, over the next 35 years I bought the very best New Guinea Shields that I could for my own personal collection; The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic Shields.

References:

Shields of Melanesia ” 2005 Edited by Harry Beran & Barry Craig

This whole book mainly on New Guinea Shields is one of the best references ever published.

I helped write three chapters in the most important book on New Guinea Shields, ” Shields of Melanesia ” 2005 edited by Harry Beran and Barry Craig. These were the chapters I wrote for this important reference book including a Chapter on the Asmat & South Coast of West Papua Irian Jaya Indonesia.

3.1 Shields from the North Coast of Western New Guinea: Pages 28- 32 : West Papua Irian Jaya Indonesia

5.1 The Shields of the Highlands of Western New Guinea : Pages 112- 1117 : Yali Shields Central Highlands West Papua Irian Jaya Indonesia

6.1 Shields from the Southern Lowlands of Western New Guinea: Pages 155-165 : Four areas of The Asmat People and Digul River areas.

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.

Three Fine Old New Guinea Woven Baba Masks Abelam People East Sepik River Province Papua New Guinea

These Fine Old New Guinea Woven Baba Tagwa Masks are from the Abelam People in the East Sepik River Province of Papua New Guinea

These very fine old Masks each have a great shape, making their faces very expressive; the masks themselves are impressive works of sculpture but to the Abelam, their power lies in the bright polychrome ochre paint applied to their surfaces the Abelam, the paint is a magical substance that endows the figures with supernatural power and beauty.

The Abelam woven basketry masks are made from a type of wild Lygodium vine fibre, the older masks like this example are finer & more tightly woven. The ochre painting is renewed each time the masks are used so they build up a layered smoky patina from long use and storage.

The Abelam and neighbouring peoples of the Prince Alexander Mountains in the Sepik region of northeast New Guinea create several types of basketry masks, they include the type seen here, known in the Abelam language as baba tagwa, which is worn over the head like a helmet, as well as the better-known woven Yam Masks used to decorate the gigantic long ceremonial yams grown and exchanged competitively by Abelam men.

Among the Abelam, baba tagwa masks are associated with the male initiation cycle, in which they are worn by men clad in shaggy costumes made from strips of leaves. During certain ceremonies, these imposing masked figures serve as guards, brandishing lengths of bamboo or other weapons, the baba tagwa drive off women, children, and uninitiated men, who are not permitted to witness the secret initiation rites

Beginning in childhood, each Abelam male must pass through eight separate initiation rites over the course of twenty to thirty years, before he is a fully initiated man. Each successive ritual requires both a physical ordeal and the viewing of increasingly elaborate displays of sacred objects in specially constructed chambers within the men’s ceremonial house. This process continues until the final rites, in which the initiate is shown the largest and most sacred of all displays—the brilliantly painted figures and other images portraying the powerful clan spirits called nggwalndu and ancestor figures.

Provenance: The Todd Batlin Collection of Oceanic Art

Exhibited & Published in Oceanic Arts Pacifica: Artworks from The Todd Barlin Collection at the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre Sydney 2016. Published in the exhibition catalogue on page 58:

I was honoured by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in 1996 (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

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 Woven Baba Mask Abelam People East Sepik River Province Papua New Guinea

This Superb Old New Guinea Woven Mask called baba tagwa is from the Abelam people in the Prince Alexander Mountains Area in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea.

This very fine old example has a great shape, making the face very expressive with the large eyes, small mouth, and feather headdress. The masks are impressive works of sculpture but to the Abelam, their power lies in the bright polychrome ochre paint applied to their surfaces, for the Abelam, paint is a magical substance that endows the figures with supernatural power and beauty.

The Abelam woven basketry masks are made from a type of wild Lygodium vine fibre, the older masks like this example are finer & more tightly woven and you can clearly see that from underneath the mask, the ochre painting is renewed each time the masks are used so they build up a layered smoky patina from and long use and storage.

The Abelam and neighboring peoples of the Prince Alexander Mountains in the Sepik region of northeast New Guinea create several types of basketry masks, they include the type seen here, known in the Abelam language as baba tagwa, which is worn over the head like a helmet, as well as the better-known woven Yam Masks used to decorate the gigantic long ceremonial yams grown and exchanged competitively by Abelam men.

Provenance: The Elizabeth Pryce Collection Sydney

The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art

I was honored by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in 1996 (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

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 Fine Old New Guinea Talipun Bride Price Yangoru Area East Sepik Papua New Guinea

A Superb Old New Guinea Pigment Dish Sepik River Area East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea

A Superb New Guinea Ceremonial Bark Belt Papuan Gulf Area New Guinea

INQUIRE HERE

A Fine Old New Guinea Basket Hook Figure Sepik River Area Papua New Guinea

A Superb Old New Guinea Neckrest or Headrest Coastal Sepik River Area Papua New Guinea

INQUIRE HERE

Superb Pair of New Guinea Sago Pegs Abelam People Prince Alexander Mountains East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea

A Superb Old New Guinea Yina Figure Kwoma People Waskuk Area Upper Sepik River Papua New Guinea

A Superb Old New Guinea War Shield Asmat People West Papua Irian Jaya Indonesia

INQUIRE HERE

Three Fine Old New Guinea Woven Baba Masks Abelam People East Sepik River Province Papua New Guinea

A Superb Old New Guinea Woven Baba Mask Abelam People East Sepik River Province Papua New Guinea

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