Description:

Oceania, Micronesia, Chuuk, Caroline Islands, Nomoi Islands (Mortlock), Satoan Atoll (Satawan Atoll), ca. 20th century CE. Micronesian culture has almost no masks - only those from this group of islands, a series of atolls northeast of Papua New Guinea. Known in their language as "tapuanu", it is hand-carved from breadfruit wood and painted using lime white and soot black. In the characteristic style of Nomoi masks, everything about the mask is thin: the profile, the eye slits, the projecting eyebrows, and the nose. A lower-profile outline around the lower half of the face resembles a black beard adorned in painted linear and geometric motifs. This mask is meant to represent an ancestor and would have been hung in a boat house or a ceremonial house, where secret soutapuanu society members could hold performances to appease the god of wind and protect the breadfruit harvest. Size: 5.3" W x 11.1" H (13.5 cm x 28.2 cm); 12.1" H (30.7 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private Hawaii collection, acquired 2000 to 2010

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#178654

  • Condition: Expected light surface wear with nicks and abrasions as shown, but otherwise intact and excellent with nice preservation of pigments and detail. Japanese inscription on verso, as well as metal suspension hook for easy display.

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August 25, 2023 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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