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| An extremely fine, and rare figure representing an important, male ancestor. Small figures such as these were used in the neighboring areas of the Keram and Porapora rivers as love charms. It is reported by Douglas Newton that the charms were surreptitiously suspended from the rafters of the girls house by the young pretender in hope that she would succumb to the magic and fall in love. It is also possible that this figure is simply a personal amulet representing the ancestral forefather and as such would have been revered and often carried about in a special bag.
Biwat People ?, Yuat River, Lower Sepik, PNG, Melanesia. Hard wood with remains of red ocher and a superb patina of age and wear. Carved with neolithic tools. 20.9 x 5.1 x 4.7 cm. 18/19th century. Ill. : Meyer, Anthony JP: OCEANIC ART / OZEANISCHE KUNST / ART OCEANIEN. Könemann Verlag, Köln. 1995, fig. 225, p. 215. Ex coll.: Peohlmann, Monaco. |
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