A Distinctive Lower Sepik River Mask...

Description

A Distinctive Lower Sepik River Mask
Papua New Guinea, c. late 19th to early 20th century

Wood with red ochre and dark brown earth pigments. This striking mask is organized as a swelling oval face framed by large curved flanges at the crown and beneath the chin, giving the whole an unusually sculptural, enclosing form. The broad forehead slopes back and is marked by a central vertical ridge, while small ear-like tabs project at the upper sides. The expansive facial plane is set against very small slit eye openings and a small mouth drawn into a gentle, almost reserved smile. Most distinctive of all is the nose, which projects less as a human feature than as a narrow bird-like beak, lending the face an enigmatic and subtly transformed character.

Pierced around the perimeter for attachment to a basketry costume, the mask would originally have functioned as part of a larger ceremonial assemblage. The contrast between the broad, swelling planes and the concentrated features gives it a powerful visual tension, at once serene and uncanny. Formerly in the collection of Gustave and Franyo Schindler, it also carries the distinction of an early and respected collecting history. A memorable Sepik mask, notable for its refined abstraction and quiet authority. In very good condition, appropriate for age, origin, and material. With a stand.

Provenance:
A Private Collection, New York, NY, acquired in 1992
Gustave and Franyo Schindler, New York

Height: 21 inches

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