A Rare Chambri, Middle Sepik River, Suspension Hook, Papua New Guinea

with green lip abalone (haliotis laevigata) shell eyes.

Collected in situ by Étienne and Monique de Ganay during the La Korrigane expedition, 1935
By descent through the family
John A. Friede, Rye, acquired from the above, ca. 1980s

Madeleine Rousseau, Guillaume Apollinaire and Tristan Tzara, L'art Océanien: Sa Présence (Collection La Musée vivant, no. 38), Paris, 1951, fig. 97

Good condition overall; tip of proper left hook chipped, as seen on photographs, proper left ear broken and reattached with fibers torn but remaining in place, minor abrasions on proper left side of shaft; age crack through proper right side of head, nicks and scratches, wear and tear from traditional use, screw inserted in reverse for mounting; fine aged patina with brown pigment and lime.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

On the 28^th of March 1934 five wealthy young French friends set out from Marseille aboard the schooner La Korrigane on a long voyage to the Pacific. The five Korrigans ('goblins' in the Breton language) were Etienne de Ganay, his wife Monique, his sister Régine, her husband Charles Van Den Broek, and the photographer Jean Ratisbonne, a friend of the two couples.

Travelling with lettres de mission from the Musée de l'Homme in Paris, their trip was part cruise and part scientific expedition, an opportunity to visit lands which excited the Western imagination and to bring back objects which spoke of the material culture of the Pacific.

One of the last great amateur expeditions, it was perhaps also amongst the last able to gather such a large number of authentic artefacts. The Korrigans arrived back in France with over 2,800 objects, some of which were exhibited at the new Musée de l'Homme in 1938, and which are now in the Louvre and the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris. They also returned with extensive documentation regarding the objects, including 6,000 photographs, Régine de Ganay's sketchbooks, Monique de Ganay's scientific index of the objects collected and Charles Van Den Broek's written account of the entire trip.

According to the archives of the expedition, this suspension hook with striking surrealistic iconography was collected in the proximity of lake Chambri in the middle Sepik River region. Friede (2005, vol. II: 123, cat. 259) notes, that the "two birds probably represent the Gandju birds born by the mythological Mother of the Sepik, Shotkaman-Agwi."