Massim figure
Trobriand Islands, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. Circa 1880.
33 cm. Wood, pigments
Provenance : Old estate, USA
This is a piece for a collector looking for true pre-contact pacific vibes. This "sickness figures" or "magician figure" from the Massim region of Papua New Guinea is of the older type known and compares favorably with 6 others in Museums.
At the British Museum (figures Oc1895,-296, 297 and 298), a group of figures, all collected in the "Trobriand" and donated by William Whitten in 1895, about the same size (between 32 and 44 cm), present the same stylistic features and one might even have been made by the same sculptor as our (the one on the right)
At the Florence national Museum of Anthropology (photos from "Art Papou", Musée de la Vileille Charitée, Marseilles, 2000, p. 130-130) sit some of the oldest Massim material known. Tree figures brought back from "Milne Bay" by A. Scheidel in 1898 (54 to 59 cm) also share many similar stylistic features.
On all these examples the wood is different from the later Massim figures made from hard brown or even black wood. The style is also more cubist. On our example, the arms are bent backward in a totally abnormal position, the hands are equally distorted, one eye is pullet out and one leg is slightly shorter. This is a magician figure, hence made and used to counter the effects of deformities probably caused by an unknown disease at the time ("The depiction of physical abnormalities in Oceanic art, especially the Massim region of Papua New Guinea, and its distinction from artistic licence", Dr Harry Beran, Pacific Arts Association, April 3-6 2013, unpublished paper)
From the overall archaic feel of this figures, but also the construction of the head, neck and body, I invite you to make stylistic connections with other cultures from the coastal regions of Papua New Guinea: Starting from the Humboldt bay and surrounding types of incised figurative works, followed by the figurative works of Lake Sentani (the head in particular is very similar), all the way down to the Massim region... which is also the route followed by proto-Austronesian language and the ancient asian branch of today's people of Papua new Guinea.
Price: 7000 Euros enquiry