View full screen - View 1 of Lot 77. Tatanua Mask, New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea .

Tatanua Mask, New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea

Lot Closed

December 10, 04:16 PM GMT

Estimate

12,000 - 18,000 EUR

We may charge or debit your saved payment method subject to the terms set out in our Conditions of Business for Buyers.

Read more.

Lot Details

Lire en français
Lire en français

Description

Tatanua Mask, New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea


Haut. 35 cm, Long. 43 cm, Larg. 17 cm ; Height. 13 ¾ in, Length. 16 ⅞ in, Width. 6 ¼ in 

L’importation de ces lots aux U.S. peut être interdite ou peut nécessiter des licences et des certificats délivrés par les organismes compétents (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service) pour être exportés et des licences et certificats supplémentaires pour être importés. Le U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service se reserve le droit de bloquer l’exportation sur le territoire des U.S. L'impossibilité pour un acheteur d'exporter ou d'importer ces lots, ou une saisie par un organisme gouvernemental, ne peut justifier un retard de paiement ou l'annulation d'une vente. Importation of these lots into the U.S. may be prohibited or may require licenses and certificates issued by the appropriate agencies (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service) to be exported and additional licenses and certificates to be imported. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service reserves the right to block export into the US. Fish and Wild Life reserves the right to block export to the U.S. The inability of a buyer to export or import these lots, or a confiscation by a government agency, cannot justify a delay in payment or the cancellation of a sale.

American Private Collection

Sotheby’s, New York, African and Oceanic Art, 11 November 2005, lot 26

Kevin Conru, Brussels, 2014

French private collection

Kevin Conru, Bruxelles, Bruneaf, 2014 été ou hiver?

In northern New Ireland and the Tabar Islands, ritual life revolved around Malagan funerary ceremonies, full of richly diverse symbols and totemic figures. Among them, Tatanua masks stand out as the most iconic - embodying the spirit or soul of the deceased. Worn during public dances by the young men of the village, these masks symbolise timeless beauty, power and presence.


Described as early as the late 19th century by ethnologists such as Richard Parkinson and P. Gerh. Peekel, these ritual objects reflect both an idealized form of masculine beauty and the memory of important individuals.


Designed to impress people and unsettle them, it acts as a powerful talisman intended to ward off evil spirits, thus combining beauty, strength and protective function in a single piece of sacred art.