8 - Masque Garra, monts Bahinemo, Papouasie Nouvelle-Guinée

Masque Garra, monts Bahinemo, Papouasie Nouvelle-Guinée Wood, natural yellow, ochre, white, and black pigments H. 61 cm; W. 18 cm The Garra, or Gra, belong to the sacred domain of the Bahinemo of the Hunstein Mountains. Contrary to what their Western designation as “masks” might suggest, they were generally not intended to be worn on the face. The flat specimens were kept in the Men’s House along with other sacred objects and then brought out by the dancers during male initiation ceremonies. These objects were associated with the spirits of the forest and the bush, as well as with the clan’s elders and initiated men. The hooks framing certain Garra are traditionally interpreted as the beaks of hornbills, birds whose nesting sites were associated with spaces inhabited by spirits. The consumption of the hornbill and the use of its feathers and beak were, moreover, reserved for initiated men and particularly for the elders. A fine example set within an oval with angular ends. The face is outlined by a circle. The white pigments along its edge accentuate its shape and presence. A red-ochre band highlights the gaze of the prominent, tubular eyes, lending the work all its striking expressive power. The composition is enlivened by four hooked protrusions that vigorously energize its surface while giving it a truly unique presence in space. Provenance - Private French collection