Leaf-shaped mask with relief woven human face and cassowary feather rim decoration.
Heavily pigmented with white lime and red ochre, highlighting facial features
and the serrated motif running the length of the upper portion of the mask.
Woven fiber masks such as these were used to ornament large sea snail shells
traded inland by coastal peoples. They were exchanged throughout the Middle
Sepik on ritual occasions, and were commonly used for ceremonial payments, such
as bride wealth. When separated from their shells, these masks retained their
ritual value; among certain tribes they were worn by novices during initiation
rituals (Greub, 1985, page 194). See Greub, Suzanne, ed. 1985. Authority and
Ornament: Art of the Sepik River. Basel: Tribal Art Centre.
Published: D'Alleva, Anne. 1988. Art of New Guinea. Cambridge: Hurst Gallery.
(page 40, cat. No. 77) |
