A Superb Old Vanuatu Pig Killing Hammer Vao Island Malekula Vanuatu 19th Century

A Superb Old Vanuatu Pig Killing Hammer Vao Island Malekula Vanuatu 19th Century

This finely carved & very old Pig Killing Club was used in important Secret Men’s Societies on Vao Island. Many Vanuatu peoples have complex men’s secret societies, which involve a series of ritual “grades” through which individuals pass, by means of initiation rites, festivals, and pig sacrifices, in order to achieve increasing religious and social status.
The two most prominent grade societies in southern Malakula are Nimangki and Nalawan. Grade rituals in each of these societies involve the creation of brightly painted figures and masks depicting powerful spirits and other supernatural beings.

Sometimes for the Highest Grades in the Secret Men’s Societies hundreds of Pigs would be killed & distributed among clans & neighboring villages. This type of Pig Killing Hammer or Club was used to dispatch the pigs with one heavy blow to the head.  When I was traveling through many remote areas of Vanuatu 38 years ago, occasionally I would see am old Pig Killing Hammer Club but they were never for sale as they are very important ceremonial objects that are kept for generations.

 Provenance Ex Alex Phillips Collection & 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 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

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 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 Superb Old New Guinea War Shield Motu People Central Province Papua New Guinea 19th C

A Superb Old New Guinea War Shield Motu People from Central Province Papua New Guinea Dating from the 19th Century 

The elegant figure-eight shape of Motu Shields is a rarity out of the corpus of New Guinea Shields that tend to either be oval or rectangular. This has the finest balance where the upper half-circle is slightly larger than the bottom one. The original rattan binding is intact including the woven designs.  Such shields were used by the Motu, Koita, and Koiari peoples in the region around the capital of Port Moresby & Central Province.  Most of these Shields were collected in the 19th Century as after that period people near the Colonial Capital Port Moresby were quickly won over to Christianity,  these are rare as they stopped making them in the late 19th Century

New Guinea 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.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of 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.

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 Axe New Britain Island Papua New Guinea 19th Century

A Superb Old New Guinea War Axe Tolai People New Britain Island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea  Dating from the 19th Century.  

This is not an everyday working axe for cutting wood, this is a War Axe or Prestige Axe that a chiefly person once owned, it was made for a large man as it is tall & heavy to wield in one hand.

Clubs and War Axes were also emblems of status & prestige & contained ancestral power as they were passed down over generations. See the historic photo above that shows two Tolai Men one holding a similar war axe.

This very fine old War Axe is carved from a single piece of dense hardwood, and the handle ends in a beautiful conical-shaped form and decorated with braided fibre woven designs, the steel axe head is an old hand-forged old trade axe. Steel Axes & tools were one of the things the local people really wanted from Europeans because they were so much more efficient than their prior stone axes & tools.  First, the German Colonials before WW1 traded large numbers of Steel Axes in return for local labor, and later the British & Australians brought steel axes & tools.

Provenance: Ex George Grey Collection Late 19th Century.  The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art 

Grey was a founding member of the Queensland Royal Anthropological Society & had a fine early collection of New Guinea & Pacific Island 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 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

Have a look at my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY  https://www.oceanicartsaustralia.com/about/exhibition-and-publications/ that shows exhibitions in public Museums and Art Galleries that I helped with around the world over 40 years

See this link to the article in the prestigious Louvre Magazine 1996 about my Artworks at The National Museums in France 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/

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.

Old Club Malekula Island Vanuatu 19th Century

Old Club Malekula Island Vanuatu 19th Century

This beautiful old Club is from Malekula Island in Vanuatu. Carved from a single of hardwood the finial with a Janus Faces in classic Malekula style.  the top of the club has a crescent shape that would definitely represent something  to do with the Men’s Secret Societies that most the Islands of Vanuatu participated in.  The club dates from the late 19th to early 20th Century and it has a deep old patina from long handling.  Clibs like this exa

 

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 War Shield Simbai Area Madang Province Papua New Guinea

A Superb New Guinea War Shield Simbai Area Madang Province Papua New Guinea

This very beautiful old Shield is from the Kalam People in the Simbai Area of the Bismark Schrader Mountain Ranges in the Madang Province of Papua New Guinea.  This fine old shield is carved from a single piece of hardwood, pierced in the middle to hold a bush fibre rope handle.

Finely carved in high relief with diamond-shaped geometric designs.  The true nature of the design meaning or inspiration might only be known to the artist and his clan.

Kalam shields were designed to protect warriors both physically and spiritually from the chaos of battle. Their bulky forms could easily deflect projectiles like arrows and spears, as well as block attacks from clubs. Carefully carved sculptural elements and painted designs helped warriors to magically draw strength and protection from their ancestors, the spirits of animals, and the land itself.  Warfare was widespread among traditional enemies in neighbouring areas and alliances were made & broken regularly between groups.

These shields were used in battle sometimes by one man with the shield strung over his shoulder protecting his body but leaving his hands free to shoot his bow & arrows, other times it could be used by two men, one pushing the shield forward and another warrior hiding behind the shield and free to use his bow and arrows with great accuracy.

Old photos of fighting in the New Guinea Highlands show many warriors with shields facing off over a large space where people surge forward and then move back.  I have seen warriors standing on rural dirt roads with their shields expecting a fight, this was in the 1980s. when people later started to acquire guns the Shield became obsolete due to their not being effective against guns.

When wars were declared, men repainted their shields with dazzlingly vibrant colours to distract and threaten their enemies. Their designs signalled the status of the carrier, his prowess as a warrior, and his connection to the spiritual world.

War, a constant realigning of relationships between opposing tribal neighbours, is woven into the tapestry of daily life in New Guinea. Its three leading causes are all key factors in being the dominant group in a region: disputes over land borders, stolen pigs, and women.

Both the location and times of battles were scheduled, and the ensuing hostilities could often go on for months culminating in someone being hurt or killed in battle. Once all parties agreed that a fair battle had taken place and reparations were settled, usually in the form of pigs given to the family of the deceased, life would go on until another issue arose.

Kalam or Simbai Shields are highly sought by collectors because they fit in well with modern design & paintings.

This shield would date from the 19th to early 20th Century

Provenance: Collected by Missionary Pilot in the 1960s

 The Todd Barlin Collection of 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 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 Bark Painting of a Lizard & Emu Western Arnhem Land Northern Australia

A Fine Old Bark Painting of a Lizard & Emu Western Arnhem Land Northern Australia

This very beautiful old Bark Painting was made by an Australian indigenous artist from the Oenpelli Area of Western Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia.  This painting depicts a Fish & Emu Bird in Xray Style.  This type of painting is often referred to as ” Xray Style ” where the internal organs of the animal are shown in detail as if taken by an Xray. In Arnhem Land where people have lived for 60,000 years, the area is famous for its Rock Shelter Paintings made by indigenous people over centuries and millenniums. These cave paintings are superb and should not be missed if visiting Australia.  Totemic Animals and Ancestral Beings are well represented in Cave Paintings.  This Bark Painting could easily be seen as a Cave Painting, likely painted in the 1950’s it shows a large kangaroo in Xray Style painted in white, yellow, black & red ochre. The painting has a real presence that the artist was communicating when he made this painting, the Kangaroo looks alive.  Early Bark Paintings like this example are rare. people hold onto them because they are so beautiful.

This superb exhibition and book on Bark Paintings from The National Museum of Australia in Canberra: Old Masters: Australia’s Great Bark Painters: see link :  https://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/old-masters

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic & Aboriginal Art

A Superb Old New Guinea War Shield Simbai Area Bismarck Schrader Ranges of Madang Province Papua New Guinea

A Superb Old New Guinea War Shield  from the Simbai Area in the Bismarck Schrader Ranges of Madang Province Papua New Guinea

This beautiful old & well-used Shield is from the Kalam People in the Simbai Area of the Bismark Schrader Mountain Ranges in Madang Province of Papua New Guinea. This fine old shield is carved from a single piece of hardwood, pierced in the middle to hold a bush fibre rope handle. The upraised designs in high relief look like a floral motif but this is only my impression and not the true nature of the designs that might only be known to the artist and his clan. The whole shield has an old black shiny patina. Kalam or Simbai Shields are highly sought by collectors because they fit in well with modern design & paintings. Warfare was widespread among traditional enemies in neighboring areas and alliances were made & broken regularly between groups. These shields were used in battle by two men, one pushing the shield forward and another warrior hiding behind the shield and free to use his bow and arrows with great accuracy.  Old photos of fighting in the New Guinea Highlands show many warriors with shields facing off over a large space where people surge forward and then move back.  I have seen warriors standing on rural dirt roads with their shields expecting a fight, this was in the 1980s, and later when people acquired guns the Shield became obsolete due to their not being effective against modern guns.  The overall condition of the shield is very good.  Hanging on the wall in my home it looks amazing both ancient & modern at the same time.

This shield would date from the 1940s or earlier, it was collected by missionaries and later part of the finely curated John Rix Collection in Sydney.

Provenance: Old Collection Australia and The Todd Barlin Collection of 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.

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 

Shell Boars Tusk Shaped Ornament Papuan Gulf Area Papua New Guinea

Personal Ornaments in New Guinea and the Pacific Islands are some of the most beautiful objects made by the indigenous people of the Pacific Islands.  Ornaments made from shells or animal teeth are not only decorations to wear but they are part of the traditional wealth and currency used by native people.  They are used to pay for bridal dowries by a young man’s family or as compensation for different types of disputes like over land for gardens or used in traditional ceremonies where giving wealth to others creates future obligations or debts. Pigs are one of the most important types of traditional wealth throughout New Guinea and the Pacific Islands. It’s no wonder that ornaments made from Boars’ Tusks and Pigs’ Teeth are an important type of traditional wealth.

The superb old Necklace is made from Shell in the form of a full circle boars tusk, normally a Boars Tusk is worn as a pendant but in this case, the artist decided to make an ornament in the shape of a Boars Tusk, there is also old grass trade beads sewn at the top of the ornament.  A full Circle Boars Tusk is a rare and valuable object in New Guinea and even more so in Vanuatu where they knock out the back molars of the Pig to allow the tusk to grow into a full circle.  This necklace dates from the 19th Century and it would have been an important prestige wealth object.

In 1985- 1986 I made several trips to Papua New Guinea and at that time personal ornaments seemed to be readily available but when I went back in 1990-1991 all these types of shell ornaments seemed much harder to find. People said “our grandparents are gone and no one is making these any longer”

Attached are a few of my field photos showing people wearing their traditional wealth ornaments.

Published ” Tridacna Gigas ” by  Eric Lancrenon  2011  This superb publication on traditional wealth ornaments from the Pacific Islands

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 Bark Painting of a Fish & Emu Western Arnhem Land Northern Australia

A Fine Old Bark Painting of a Fish & Emu Western Arnhem Land Northern Australia

This very beautiful old Bark Painting was made by an Australian indigenous artist from the Oenpelli Area of Western Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia.  This painting depicts a Fish & Emu Bird in Xray Style.  This type of painting is often referred to as ” Xray Style ” where the internal organs of the animal are shown in detail as if taken by an Xray. In Arnhem Land where people have lived for 60,000 years, the area is famous for its Rock Shelter Paintings made by indigenous people over centuries and millenniums. These cave paintings are superb and should not be missed if visiting Australia.  Totemic Animals and Ancestral Beings are well represented in Cave Paintings.  This Bark Painting could easily be seen as a Cave Painting, likely painted in the 1950’s it shows a large kangaroo in Xray Style painted in white, yellow, black & red ochre. The painting has a real presence that the artist was communicating when he made this painting, the Kangaroo looks alive.  Early Bark Paintings like this example are rare. people hold onto them because they are so beautiful.

This superb exhibition and book on Bark Paintings from The National Museum of Australia in Canberra: Old Masters: Australia’s Great Bark Painters: see link :  https://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/old-masters

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic & Aboriginal Art

A Fine Old Bark Painting of a Turtle Western Arnhem Land Northern Australia

A Fine Old Bark Painting of a Turtle Western Arnhem Land Northern Australia

This very beautiful old Bark Painting was made by an Australian indigenous artist from the Oenpelli Area of Western Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia.  This painting depicts a Turtle in Xray Style.  This type of painting is often referred to as ” Xray Style ” where the internal organs of the animal are shown in detail as if taken by an Xray. In Arnhem Land where people have lived for 60,000 years, the area is famous for its Rock Shelter Paintings made by indigenous people over centuries and millenniums. These cave paintings are superb and should not be missed if visiting Australia.  Totemic Animals and Ancestral Beings are well represented in Cave Paintings.  This Bark Painting could easily be seen as a Cave Painting, likely painted in the 1950’s it shows a large kangaroo in Xray Style painted in white, yellow, lack & red ochre. The painting has a real presence that the artist was communicating when he made this painting, the Kangaroo looks alive.  Early Bark Paintings like this example are rare. people hold onto them because they are so beautiful.

This superb exhibition and book on Bark Paintings from The National Museum of Australia in Canberra: Old Masters: Australia’s Great Bark Painters: see link :  https://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/old-masters

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic & Aboriginal Art