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HOME :
African & Tribal Art :
Oceanic Art : New Guinea Wood Sculpture of a Seated Man
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New Guinea Wood Sculpture of a Seated Man - PF.2575
Origin: New Guinea
Circa: 20
th
Century AD
Dimensions:
31.375" (79.7cm) high
x 11.5" (29.2cm) wide
Collection: Oceanic
Medium: Wood
$6,000.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
In a region that is heavily wooded, with very little
stone or clay, the native populations of New
Guinea have incorporated wood as their central
cultural element. In this dramatic work of New
Guinea art we experience elements of their
culture artistically manifested in the form of a
carved wood figure seated upon a chair, the back
portion of which echoes the shape of the mask
that adorns the figure's head. This carved leaf
shape is reminiscent of native bull roarers,
wooden objects used as noise makers by the
tribes in New Guinea and nearby Australia, to
invoke the divine spirits. A pair of carved faces
also ornament the ceremonial chair, functioning
as two of the four support legs, their inlaid
cowrie shell eyes casting an aura of shamanic
mysticism in much the same manner as the wide
spiraling shell eyes of the figure's face mask.
Here on the figure's mask we are also captivated
by the painted, incised patterns that curve
around the face, their energetic design
heightening the mask's spirited powers. The
masked figure sits with his right hand resting on
his thigh while the other hand grasps his
enlarged manhood, accentuating his potent
virility in a most expressive fashion. Carved
bands adorn his arms, each supporting a spear
that juts upward in a noticeably commanding
position. Filled with complex, communicative
power, this carved wood figure reveals not only
the dynamism of a native New Guinea culture but
also its ability to skillfully and artistically
manifest its ideology into an extraordinary work
of sculpted art.
- (PF.2575)
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