Mortier à Bétel, Delta du fleuve Ramu ou île Manam, Papouasie Nouvelle-Guinée

Collection Jay C. Leff, Uniontown, Pennsylvania
Sotheby's Parke Bernet, New York, 10 Octobre 1975, n° 14
Collection Alain Schoffel, Paris
Collection Patrick Caput, Paris
Collection Marcia et John Friede, New York

Exposé dans:
Exotic Art from the Ancient and Primitive Civilizations, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, 1959-1960
Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, de Young Museum, San Francisco, 15 octobre 2005 - 14 février 2010

Reproduit dans:
Meyer, Art Océanien, 1995 : 186, n° 191
Friede, New Guinean Art - Masterpieces from the Jolika Collection of Marcia and John Friede, 2005, vol. 1 : 86, n° 60 et vol. 2 : 92

Exposé et reproduit dans:
Faces and figures : Pacific Island Art from the Collection of Jay C. Leff, 1975: n° 16, catalogue de l'exposition, American Museum of Natural History, New York, 1975

Good condition overall. The long curving nose broken and glued in two places, visible in the catalogue illustration; Wear consistent with great age and use within the culture : a few small losses and hairline cracks, and a crack to the proper right side of the face - all visible in the catalogue illustration.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

cf. Bounoure (1992 : 135) pour un mortier similaire anciennement dans les collections d'André Breton et de Paul Eluard.

Au surréalisme de la conception – jambes repliées dans le dos pour imposer de face un corps résumé à la représentation du buste, démesure du nez dont la courbe se prolonge vers l'arrière jusqu'à la naissance des reins,  coupe sommitale portée par des membres prenant appui sur les tempes – répond la remarquable puissance exprimée par la sculpture. 

Si la tête est celle des classiques statuettes kandiboang – visage en cœur se prolongeant dans la ligne de l'appendice nasal démesuré, sommet évoquant la coiffure traditionnelle portée par les hommes lors des cérémonies – ici son volume est rendu plus exceptionnel encore par le corps radicalement raccourci et par la concentration des dynamiques dans des courbes fermées.

La sculpture à l'outil de pierre et la profondeur de la patine attestent une ancienneté remontant au XIX^e siècle.

Betel mortar, Modang Province, Ramu River Delta or Manam Island, Papua New Guinea

It is the surrealism of the design – with the legs twisted back so as to impose upon the viewer a form which encapsulates the whole bust in a single expression, in the excessiveness of the nose whose curve falls from the very tip of the head right down to the base of the lower back, in the deft carving which brings your attention to the summit, and the hands resting on the temples – which explains the remarkable power expressed by this sculpture.

Although the head is that of a classical kandiboang sculpture - a heart-shaped face extending down in line with an excessively exaggerated nose, which refers to the traditional headdresses worn by men on ceremonial occasions – with this example,  the volume is rendered all the more exceptional by the radically reduced body, and by the concentration of dynamics within closed curves.

Stone carved, and with a depth of patina with attests to its 19^th century origin.