IRIAN JAYA - ASMAT IRIAN JAYA - ASMAT

Ritual dish in carved wood and natural…

Description

IRIAN JAYA - ASMAT

IRIAN JAYA - ASMAT Ritual dish in carved wood and natural pigments in white and black ochre decorated in the upper part with a standing man in the round and stylized scrolls. Height : 83 cm - Width : 26 cm (wear, small missing) (price : 50 €)

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IRIAN JAYA - ASMAT

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Estim. 800 - 1 200 EUR

A MANGROVE WOOD SHIELD Papua Selatan (New Guinea West, Central, Republic of Indonesia), Asmat H. 182 cm Large rectangular-oval shield vasem of the Asmat from Papua Selatan (western part of New Guinea, politically part of Indonesia). The upper part tapers to a pointed oval, the lower part is flattened so that it can be placed provisionally on the ground. The front view (facing the opponent) is carved in bas-relief with abstract red and white, symmetrically arranged forms and painted with lime and ochre. The motif is interpreted as a double abstract human figure. The colour scheme is typical of Asmat art. The shield shows signs of wear or use, which may be intentional (the shields of the deceased were sometimes ritually damaged during burial ceremonies). Shields of this type were once carried in tribal feuds for the purpose of ritual headhunting, otherwise they are stored in men's houses, are highly respected and fulfil the role of an alter ego of their owner. They are always made from one piece, with an integral handle on the back. During fights, they are sometimes placed on the ground because of their size; elaborate spears (jukaim, fum), clubs and daggers made from human bones are sometimes used as offensive weapons. The motifs, which are always associated with ancestor worship, can in part be traced back to continental-Austronesian archetypes (abstracted animal style) and, according to some interpretations, represent a mythical primordial village or the path of the initiate to the world beyond and back. They have partial equivalents in eastern Indonesia (Maluku). The material culture of the hunting and fishing Asmat is characterised by elaborate carvings. Everyday and ritual objects are decorated with ornaments. These include paddles, bumpers, shields and spears, as well as canoes, which carry the souls of the deceased into the ocean, and ancestral poles. Bartering takes place between the communities. The most important family group is a clan grouped around a men's house (jeu). This is where the men live after leaving their parental home until they marry. The Asmat marry outside their group (exogamy). The nibung palm (digging sticks, bows, arrowheads, spears), mangroves (construction timber and battle shields) and the nipa palm (mats and elements for roofing) are used for tools. Lianas and rattan provide bindings, wickerwork and bowstrings. Bamboo is used to make axe handles, blow horns and water containers. From an old German private collection, acquired in the 1980s - Minor traces of age, partly slightly chipped and short crack

Estim. 900 - 1 500 EUR

A MANGROVE WOOD SHIELD ''VASEM'' Papua Selatan (New Guinea West, Central, Republic of Indonesia), Asmat H. 169 cm Rounded-oval battle shield of the Asmat from West New Guinea. The shield is carved in low relief with red and white coloured human motifs. It is crowned by a stylised standing human figure or a head with a stylised rudimentary body, which probably represents an ancestor of the owner. The extremities are indicated by clusters of palm branches, which can also be found on the edge of the shield. The reverse of the shield with the integral handle shows a painted symmetrical pattern of white and orange triangles. The two central male figures on the front probably represent warriors or the owner and his father, while the figures on the edges are enemies or prisoners who are ‘incorporated’ into their own clan through sacrifice or headhunting. On many shields, these have been reduced to hook-shaped symbols.For the Asmat, the shield has a special significance among the possessions of the initiated warrior. Frequently encountered roundish shapes can symbolise both fruit and taken heads, which have a very similar symbolism (renewal and fertility). The motifs are not only intended to invoke one's own strength and establish a connection to the ancestors, but also to frighten and weaken the opponent. The style is reminiscent of the north-western Asmat region. Flying foxes (an endemic species of giant bat) or the warrior's nose ornament made of shell discs or boar's teeth, which is the privilege of the successful headhunter, are also popular motifs. The motifs were designed in such a way that only initiated men of higher rank could understand them. The ancestral spirits play an important role in the imagination and art of the Asmat. They are reincarnated in the newborn children. The skulls of the ancestors are sometimes decorated and used as everyday objects, for example as headrests when sleeping. The skulls of slain enemies, on the other hand, are kept in the men's house. Anyone who kills an enemy takes on their name and social duties. This ‘takeover’ is often thematised on the shields. The clothing of Asmat men is often limited to ritual body jewellery, otherwise nudity is common. On festive occasions, the upper beak of the hornbill, a headhunting symbol, adorns the male pubis. The warriors of the Asmat wear martial septum piercings (septum: nasal septum), bipane. These were flat shell plates, up to several centimetres wide, whose shape is reminiscent of the weapons of wild boars. Woven full-body masks are worn during a ritual in which the movement of the masks between the village and the forest is intended to strengthen the bond between the two areas. From an old German private collection, acquired in the 1980s - Minor traces of age and use, partly slightly chipped

Estim. 200 - 400 EUR

ASMAT, IRIAN JAYA, WEST NEW GUINEA Carved and polished green ribbed hardstone coin axe. Small chip on edge. H. 26 cm.

Estim. 80 - 120 EUR

Fetish artifacts consisting of a bag decorated with warthog teeth and a small dagger made of cassowary bone. Asmat, Irian Jaya (Indonesia). Dimensions: 23x15 cm.

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