Art For Sale Archive - Page 44 of 49 - Oceanic Arts Australia

Superb Old New Guinea Shell Wealth Bangle Sulka People New Britain Island Papua New Guinea

Superb Old New Guinea Shell Wealth Bangle Sulka People New Britain Island Papua New Guinea Dating from the 19th Century

These old spool-shaped Shell Bangles are Wealth Ornaments from the Sulka People of East New Britain Province Papua New Guinea. These beautiful old Shell Wealth Ornaments are 19th Century examples. I have seen the people in the Solomon’s are making modern versions of these and they are machine-made and look modern.

These three objects were made the traditional way of using bamboo and sand friction to cut and shape which took months of hard work. In all three fine examples, the largest heavy one is 12cm in diameter and quite thick and heavy. The other two are 11cm & 10.5cm in diameter and the quality is similar. These were collected in the early 20th Century. They date from the 19th Century.

Fine Shell Bangles like these were not worn daily for fear of damaging them, they were highly valued as a form of traditional currency and could be used in paying a dowry by a young man’s family for his bride. As far as I know, the Sulka were the only people who made these spool-type bangles that have the deep groove, they were widely traded around New Britain and to the mainland of Papua New Guinea, the spool-shaped Bangle does appear to be part of an ancient tradition from SE Asia as I have seen them in Museums from Thailand.

In their ceremonial arts, the Sulka people of northern New Britain consciously seek to achieve magnificence, striving to maximize the visual impact on the viewer. Brightly pink colored and ephemeral Masks that the Sulka create for one-time use in dances and ceremonies, during which their fleeting beauty allows the audience to briefly glimpse the divine.

You can see the Sulka people’s great appreciation for beauty in these beautifully made bangles.

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 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 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 Fine Old Australian Aboriginal Boomerang West Australia19th Century

A Fine Old Australian Aboriginal Boomerang West Australia dating from the 19th Century

Of good form and finely incised on both sides

An iconic symbol of Aboriginal culture, the boomerang is the most familiar of all Aboriginal art forms. Created by many, but not all, Aboriginal peoples, boomerangs served a variety of purposes. The best-known type was the returning boomerang, which was made in parts of southeastern and western Australia. Most, however, were non-returning. Employed primarily in hunting and warfare, boomerangs were specialized throwing sticks, designed to strike the target and fall to the ground. In hunting, they usually served to incapacitate the prey, allowing the hunter to catch the animal, which was killed with spears or other weapons. Primarily projectiles, in some areas, boomerangs were also general-purpose tools, serving, as needed, as knives, digging sticks, or fire-making implements. Some types were, and continue to be, used as musical instruments, clapped together to provide a rhythmic accompaniment for song and dance performances.

Provenance: Ex Holt Collection & The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic & Aboriginal Art

A Superb Ancient Solomon Islands Shell Wealth Ring Western Solomon Islands

A Superb Ancient Solomon Islands Shell Wealth Ring Western Solomon Islands

This massive heavy Shell Wealth Ring is from the Western Solomon Islands. These large heavy Shell Rings are made from fossilized Giant Clam Shell or Tridacna Gigas , No living animal is harmed as these are made from ancient fossilized Clam Shells that are part of the marine environment.

These largest Rings were the most important; they were clan heirlooms and were basically Land Title Deeds for specific areas that were known to all their neighbors. These Shell Wealth Rings were used for Chiefs’ bridewealth payments, to purchase pigs, land, and maritime rights, for compensations, as grave ornaments, and for ritual appeasement. They also had ceremonial uses and could transfer ancestral power from owner to owner. This Shell Ring is a superb example it’s in very good condition and is likely several hundred years old.

Old Shell Rings like this are rare, they were not sold or gifted without genuine compensation. New Shell Rings are now made to sell to tourists and collectors but they don’t have the same look or feeling of antiquity as they are made quickly with power tools.

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 Fine Old New Guinea Obsidian Bladed Dagger Admiralty Islands Manus Province Papua New Guinea

A Fine Old New Guinea Obsidian Bladed Dagger Admiralty Islands Papua New Guinea Dating from the early 20th Century

Finely made chipped black obsidian Dagger Blade is made from the volcanic glass-like obsidian that is only found in the Maus Province of Papua New Guinea, the fine handle of the Dagger Blade is made from carved wood covered in parinarium nut paste that hardens when it dries and later gets incised designs and ochre painted.

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 Fine Old New Guinea Flute Stopper Middle Sepik River Area of Papua New Guinea

A Fine Old New Guinea Flute Stopper Middle Sepik River Area of Papua New Guinea

This older and used Flute Stopper is from the Sawos People in the Middle Sepik River area of Papua New Guinea. In the form of totemic animals a bird perched on the top of a crocodile’s head. The back of the bird has finely incised designs and the whole object has a deep old crusty patina. The Flute Stopper dates from the late 19th – early 20th Century as it was collected in the Sepik River area in the 1930s

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 this example. Some of the finest artworks made in the Sepik River area were the sacred Flute Stoppers. Flute stoppers portray stylized human images or images of totemic animals. 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. Flutes are also associated with crocodile spirits and flutes were used during initiation rites in which novices had cuts made on their backs and chest that healed into permanent scarification that resemble crocodile skin and marking them as initiated individuals. Sacred Flutes were only seen by initiated men and played during important ceremonies.

Provenance: 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

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 Flute Stopper Sepik River Area Papua New Guinea Collected 1934

A Fine Old Flute Stopper from the Coastal Sepik River Area of Papua New Guinea was collected in 1934

This old and used Flute Stopper is from the Coastal Sepik River area of Papua New Guinea. In the form of a standing male ancestor figure who is wearing an elaborate headdress. This Flute Stopper dates from the early 20th Century as it was collected in the Sepik River area in the 1930s by Albert Gross. The Gross collection is in major collections in Europe and around the world.

For many New Guinea people, 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 almost always decorated with Flute Stoppers depicting important ancestors or totemic animals. Some of the finest artworks made in the Sepik River area were the sacred Flute Stoppers.

This fine example portrays an important male ancestor wearing an elaborate headdress wear the person’s hair is pulled through a rattan cone decorated with dog teeth.

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 are the voices of specific honoured ancestors or spirits and the flutes have their personal names.

Flutes are also associated with crocodile spirits and flutes were used during initiation rites in which novices had cuts made on their backs and chest that healed into permanent scarification that resemble crocodile skin and marked them as initiated individuals.

Provenance: Collected by Albert Gross in 1934 and then by descent through his family. The Todd Balin 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 Fine Old New Guinea Amulet Figure Murik Lakes Area East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea

A Fine Old New Guinea Amulet Figure Murik Lakes Area East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea

This beautiful old female Ancestor Figure or Kandimboang is from the Murik Lakes area in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea.

Carved in the form of a strong young woman in full health, She is standing facing forward with her arms held to her sides with hands resting on her hips, she is wearing a grass skirt .

In the Sepik River societies, each community had carved wood figures which are associated with specific ancestors, these are important ceremonial figures, each figure had it’s own personal name. Ancestor figures were an important part of a community’s spiritual well-being, they offered protection from malevolent forces and for help to ensure fertility for gardens growing large yams and taro as food sources.

Kathleen Barlow In the Journal de la Société des Océanistes 146 | 2018 explains further

“Kandimboang is a generic term for carved wooden figures in both male and female human form. They vary greatly in size from under 6 inches in height to standing figures 5-6’ tall or more. The smaller ones may be gai masok, but larger ones are also used to invoke spiritual power from specific male and female spirits, mythic figures and ancestors in curing rituals in the men’s house, and at initiations. Jari is an important female mythic figure in the region who came to the Murik Lakes from the West bearing outrigger canoe technology and gave knowledge of how to give birth to women (Lutkehaus,1995; von Poser, 2014; Z’Graggen, 2011). These objects are kept in the women’s (Tamoane, 1977) and men’s houses – the former being a larger than usual dwelling house and deployed on certain occasions to call forth the spiritual presence and influence of the entities whom they represent.

Because kandimboang require skill and conscious intention, and even spiritual inspiration to create, they are treated with respect and care. Figures with a long, hooked nose are spirit figures, while those with more human noses are meant to represent actual humans, or spirits in their human form. Nevertheless, apart from their deployment under certain circumstances (offerings made, words spoken to call forth presence and empowerment) the wooden figures are neutral material objects much of the time. On the other hand, to avoid unintentionally or negatively bringing forth their power, custodians of named figures keep them in special bags or bark containers in secluded places (such as the rafters or the back of the house). Their beneficent influence is dependent on treating them with respect, which includes refurbishing their ornamentation for proper display, and offering them food, tobacco and betel nut. The figures are brought out on occasions when their support, as representatives of ancestral and contemporary spiritual presence, is important to the success of an undertaking “.

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 Vanuatu Janus Head Spear Finial Malekula Island Vanuatu19th Century

A Superb old Vanuatu Janus Head Spear Finial Malekula Island Vanuatu. Dating from the mid 19th Century

This fine old Spear Finial Ornament is from Malekula Island in Vanuatu. Collected in the late 19th Century which would make the Spear Ornament from the mid-19th Century or earlier. The actual full-length spear would have been 3 meters long and near the top of the spear is where this ornament would be placed. Often the top of the head had a Sting Ray spine attached which gave it a sharp serrated point. The Janus Head represents ancestors who would give supernatural power to the spear and warrior.

The faces are quite cubist looking with wide flaring nostrils, the side view shows both faces in profile and a concentric diamond design at the top of the sides of the head. These old ornaments were kept as family heirlooms when the spears were broken and no longer used. I have always thought that these Malekula Island Spear Finials look like Kanak Masks from New Caledonia which is not that far & there would have been trading & contact between the Islands of Vanuatu & New Caledonia.

Provenance: Jane Catharine Tost (c.1817-1889), and Ada Jane Rohu (1848-1928), taxidermists and shopkeepers, were mother and daughter. Tost & Rohu were two women taxidermists selling taxidermy native animals and native curios and artifacts from the Pacific Islands,

Visitors to Sydney were enticed to visit the shop boasting ” the largest stock in Australia of genuine native implements and curiosities, carved emu eggs and other beautiful souvenirs, skins of foreign and Australian birds, beasts and reptiles, live snakes (non-venomous), entomological specimens & requisites, birds and animals mounted in life-like style, fancywork goods, and glass domes.’ There was something there for everyone. The taxidermists won at least 20 medals for their meticulous craftsmanship at international trade exhibitions.

Between the 1870s and 1920’s the Australian Museum kept a watchful eye on goods being offered at ‘the queerest shop in Australia’, as it came to be known, acquiring about 130 ethnographic items from them as well as other, natural history specimens. Tost and Rohu artifacts can be found today in museums in Australia, New Zealand, England, and Ireland & in private collections.

Jane Catherine Tost, the daughter of a prominent English family of naturalists and taxidermists, was employed at the British Museum preparing specimens for some 15 years. Tost’s considerable expertise was acquired at the British Museum in the 1840’s preparing specimens for John Gould. Tost belonged to a prominent English family of taxidermists – she and her two brothers were trained by their parents Herbert and Catherine Ward, who had bred and stuffed birds for gentleman collectors in the early 1800s. Brothers Edwin Henry (1812-1878) and Frederick worked for Gould and Audubon and Tost’s nephew Rowland Ward later became internationally renowned for his big game taxidermy dioramas and “Wardian” animal furniture.

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 Fine Old New Guinea Spear Thrower Ornament Karawari River East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea

A Fine Old New Guinea Spear Thrower Ornament from the Karawari River area in the East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea

This beautiful small-scale sculpture was used as an ornamental charm on a traditional Spear Thrower from the middle Sepik River area of Papua New Guinea. This little carving was originally attached to a bamboo shaft that was a spear thrower (see above a photo of a whole Spear Thrower with the ornament attached)

When you look closely at this carving, on the outer curved edge you see four small stylized ancestor faces in profile, this is the great imagination of the Sepik artists, and the open section is like the larger scale Karawari River Cult Figures that have hooks as their body. Karawari River sculptures are some of the most beautiful & iconic artworks made in the Sepik River areas.

Provenance: Collected by Albert Gross in the Sepik River area in the 1930s, many artworks his artworks are in major collections around the world.

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 Ancestor Figure Asmat People West Papua Irian Jaya Indonesia

SOLD PLEASE SEE OTHER FINE OCEANIC ARTWORKS

A Superb Old New Guinea Ancestor Figure Asmat People West Papua Irian Jaya Indonesia

This beautifully carved old Ancestor Figure is from the Asmat People who live on the South Coast of West Papua Irian Jaya Indonesia. Dating from the 1950s or earlier, it shows the great artistic skills of Asmat Master Cavers or Wow Ipits in the Asmat Language.

This tall elegant standing female Ancestor Figure has all of the characteristics of early Asmat sculptures. Carved from a single piece of Mangrove Wood and originally highlighted with white lime The figure has no base or ability to stand up independently because when used traditionally the figures were tied to the inside wall of the Asmat Men’s Ceremonial Houses called jeu

The main Asmat creation myth is about the creator Fumeripitjs who was lonely so he carved figures from wood and then he made a drum, when he played the drum the carved wood figures came to life and that is how the first Asmat people were created, this shows the important connection for the Asmat people between trees, their forests & humans.

I spent a lot of time in the Asmat region in the early 1980s and Ancestor Figures 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: 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.

Archives: Art For Sale

Superb Old New Guinea Shell Wealth Bangle Sulka People New Britain Island Papua New Guinea

A Fine Old Australian Aboriginal Boomerang West Australia19th Century

A Superb Ancient Solomon Islands Shell Wealth Ring Western Solomon Islands

A Fine Old New Guinea Obsidian Bladed Dagger Admiralty Islands Manus Province Papua New Guinea

INQUIRE HERE

A Fine Old New Guinea Flute Stopper Middle Sepik River Area of Papua New Guinea

INQUIRE HERE

A Fine Old New Guinea Flute Stopper Sepik River Area Papua New Guinea Collected 1934

A Fine Old New Guinea Amulet Figure Murik Lakes Area East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea

A Superb old Vanuatu Janus Head Spear Finial Malekula Island Vanuatu19th Century

INQUIRE HERE

A Fine Old New Guinea Spear Thrower Ornament Karawari River East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea

INQUIRE HERE

A Superb Old New Guinea Ancestor Figure Asmat People West Papua Irian Jaya Indonesia

SOLD PLEASE SEE OTHER FINE OCEANIC ARTWORKS

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