Null Betel mortar in blackened wood. Standing figure, arms at sides, scarificati…

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Betel mortar in blackened wood. Standing figure, arms at sides, scarification marks. Lower Sepik region. Papua New Guinea. Late period. H. 11.5 cm.

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Betel mortar in blackened wood. Standing figure, arms at sides, scarification marks. Lower Sepik region. Papua New Guinea. Late period. H. 11.5 cm.

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Estim. 400 - 600 EUR

A CARVED WOOD LID FOR A LIME JAR '' KAPUR SIRIH'' Indonesia, North Sumatra, Toba-Batak, 19th c. or 20th c. H. 23 cm A plastically carved lid for a lime vessel for making sirih, tagan. It is made of patinated light wood and depicts a figure riding on a singa with a high-tied mop of hair. The thick organic patina indicates many years of use and ‘sacrifice’. High-ranking objects were sacrificed at regular intervals with alcoholic beverages, the blood of farm animals and saliva mixed with betel, all substances with a soul of their own. The front legs of the singa, which has a raised tail, resemble human arms; the hind legs are quite realistic horse legs. The number of hybrid forms the singa can take is almost endless. The vessel to which this lid belonged probably consisted of a bamboo internode. Betel is a popular stimulant throughout South East Asia. The unripe betel nuts are usually cut into small pieces with special scissors, crushed and rolled into leaves coated with slaked lime, which do not come from the betel palm, but from the betel pepper (Piper betle), which is then known as betel bites (sirih). The crushed betel nut, which has a vasodilatory effect, was mixed with lime paste to make awls and chewed. The container of this lid may have been used to ‘prepare’ the betel paste. Because of the bitter flavour, spices such as peppermint, liquorice or chewing tobacco were often added. Betel containers were usually made of horn or bamboo, but among the Toba-Batak they could also be made of brass and were valued items of prestige. As they were usually carried in skin bags (salipi), from which only the lid protruded, the body was often not elaborately decorated. From an old German private collection, assembled since the 1950s - Minor wear, partly slightly chipped Publ.: IFICAH (2018): Die Verwandtschaft im Nacken, Wohlesbostel. p. 80, 81

Starting price 20 EUR

INDE

Estim. 500 - 700 EUR

Pestle from a betel nut mortar, Northern Massim area Papua New Guinea Ebony wood 19th century Height: 23.1 cm Provenance: Barbara Perry Collection, Australia Barbara Perry Collection, Australia Harry Beran Collection, England (HB113) Collection John & Marcia Friede.Rye, New York, USA Betel nut chewing is an ancient tradition in the Massim region, requiring special preparation and the use of traditional tools: mortar and pestle. The mortar is generally made of hard wood and is designed to withstand the forces required to crush the betel nuts. The pestle is a solid, heavy piece used to crush the ingredients in the mortar. This mortar pestle consists of a straight handle, flaring at the end, topped by a female bust carved in the round. The effigy's solemn stance, with closed eyes and arms folded at right angles under the chest, reinforces the vertical hieraticism of the composition. Carved in ebony wood with deep brown tones, our object has a lighter patina in places on the handle, testifying to its repeated use. Barbara Perry was a lifelong collector of Papua New Guinean art. Guinea. Her chance encounter with this art occurred in 1964, inspired by stories and objects collected in the region by a friend returning from a trip. Her husband Ron Perry decided to set off on an expedition to the Highlands and Sepik, bringing back objects that launched the couple's artifact business. Barbara first visited Papua New Guinea four years later, exploring alongside Ron from Madang to Wewak, Angoram, up the Sepik River to Ambunti. After their divorce in the late 1970s, she built up a large collection of Papua New Guinean and Aboriginal art in Abbotsford, then in Melbourne.

Starting price 120 EUR

LOMBOK, BALI, INDONESIA. 5 Betel grater handles. Wood carvings, heights between 9 and 12.5 cm.

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