Simbu Province, Papua New Guinea Highlands Circa 1940–1960
Gourd, cassowary feathers, lorikeet feathers, fiber
Height 19” (48 cm), Width 16” (40 cm) including feather headdress
Provenance: Field collected by Stan Moriarty, Sydney, in the early 1960s. Subsequently Wayne Heathcote, UK.
Gourd masks of the Papua New Guinea Highlands were used in public ceremonial performances associated with pig-killing feasts and harvest rites, during which they represented bush spirits. The Simbu Province has a well-documented tradition of such objects, which were worn over the face and accompanied by full body costuming. Stan Moriarty was a prominent Sydney-based collector who acquired objects in the field during the early 1960s, a period of active ethnographic collection in the region.
This example is formed from an elongated gourd with a tapering chin profile, the facial features modeled and darkened to give strong presence to the overall form. The eyes and mouth are cut as horizontal slits and the face retains traces of applied pigment. The headdress comprises cassowary feathers and green lorikeet feathers mounted on a woven fiber base, and is intact and well preserved.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Simbu Province, Papua New Guinea Highlands Circa 1940–1960
Gourd, cassowary feathers, lorikeet feathers, fiber
Height 19” (48 cm), Width 16” (40 cm) including feather headdress
Provenance: Field collected by Stan Moriarty, Sydney, in the early 1960s. Subsequently Wayne Heathcote, UK.
Gourd masks of the Papua New Guinea Highlands were used in public ceremonial performances associated with pig-killing feasts and harvest rites, during which they represented bush spirits. The Simbu Province has a well-documented tradition of such objects, which were worn over the face and accompanied by full body costuming. Stan Moriarty was a prominent Sydney-based collector who acquired objects in the field during the early 1960s, a period of active ethnographic collection in the region.
This example is formed from an elongated gourd with a tapering chin profile, the facial features modeled and darkened to give strong presence to the overall form. The eyes and mouth are cut as horizontal slits and the face retains traces of applied pigment. The headdress comprises cassowary feathers and green lorikeet feathers mounted on a woven fiber base, and is intact and well preserved.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
