Lot 22A
Oceania, Melanesia, Vanuatu, Ambrym Island, ca. 1940 CE. A rare Rom mask from Ambrym Island, crafted from barkcloth, feathers, fiber, rattan, clay, and pigment. This example features the distinctive tall, conical form associated with Rom ceremonial masks, with a sharply pointed crest adorned with chicken feathers, and a painted face area framed by natural fiber raffia. Pigments - orange, white, black, and soft green - define the angular planes of the mask, while long raffia fiber fringe cascades from the lower edge and back. Rom masks were made in great secrecy by members of a male society for use in elaborate masked dances marking important communal and ritual events. These performances were highly significant in Ambrym culture, and the masks were typically burned following the ceremonies, making surviving examples exceptionally rare. Size: 13" W x 31" H (33 cm x 78.7 cm); raffia hair adds about: 17" L (43.2 cm)
Provenance: Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA; purchased from Douglas Schneible in August 2001, collected in the 1940's by a German missionary
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#196437
- Condition: Cracking to the clay covering the fibrous / clay covering the barkcloth. Active flaking to fibers and surface when handled. Fraying to feathers and leaves.
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