Spatula, Kitava Island, Trobriand Archipelago Papua New Guinea Ebony wood Height: 34.5 cm 19th century Provenance: Unknown collector's label 'M22'. Collection John & Marcia Friede, Rye, New York, USA Bibliography: Galerie Franck Marcelin, Lime spatulas from Mélanésie, 2013, reproduced under no. 3 Within the large corpus of carved spatulas from South-East Papua New Guinea, this beautiful spatula belongs to the category of House Keepers. Their function, as Franck Marcelin explains, "is to protect their owners from supernatural threats". (In Spatules à chaux de Melanesia, 2013) According to accounts by the Trobriand chief Narubutau, recounted by Harry Beran, it was possible for the owner of an anthropomorphic spatula, endowed with magical powers, to invite a tokwai tree spirit to incarnate in the spatula. This practice was intended to protect against spells and witchcraft. While the spatula's function was more symbolic and apotropaic than utilitarian, the less elaborate examples were used in everyday life to prepare the mixture of lime, areca nut and betel leaf. Betel chewing has many benefits, including reducing hunger, producing a feeling of well-being and increasing work capacity. The tapered spatula, with its rounded tip and delicate central rib, features a crouching human figure carved in the round at the top. This anthropomorphic handle, whose dense, complex sculptural style is characteristic of this region of the Trobriand Islands, contrasts with the purity and elegance of the blade. The figure is depicted crouching, elbows resting on his knees, hands tucked under his chin. The composition is organized around alternating voids and solids, curved and organic forms, whose relief is rendered by the scrolling motifs engraved on the surface.