Lot 123A
** A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this lot will benefit The Fowler Museum at UCLA **
Oceania, Papua New Guinea, East Sepik, Abelam, early 20th century CE. A woven mask with beaded details that just barely suggests an anthropomorphic form, including round eyes, a triangular, massive nose, and a crest above the face like a headdress or big hair. The woven fibers are painted yellow and red. This one and others like it were created for festivals surrounding the cherished yam, the crucial crop of the Abelam people of northeast Papua New Guinea. Masks like this example have traditionally been used to adorn the heads of huge tubers, rather than humans. Curious? Indeed, the Abelam cultivate massive yams in addition to the ordinary variety. These can be as much as 12 feet long. According to the curatorial department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, "A mans social status is determined largely by his success in growing long yams. Each man has a permanent exchange partner to whom he ceremonially presents his largest yams following the annual harvest, later receiving those of his rival in return. Men who are consistently able to give their partners longer yams than they receive gain great prestige. Lavishly adorned for the presentation ceremony, the finest long yams are essentially transformed into human images, decorated in the manner of men in full ceremonial regalia." (http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/311328) Size: 10.75" W x 11" H (27.3 cm x 27.9 cm)
Provenance: ex-Morgan Collection, Santa Monica, CA.
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#117647
- Condition: Small breaks to a few of the beaded links between the different levels of the mask; otherwise excellent, with bright colors and nice form
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