WASHKUK HILLS SPIRIT BOARD, MAYO PEOPLE, YESSAN VILLAGE, PAPUA NEW GUINEA

mindja.

Walter Randel, New York
Marcia and John Friede, New York, acquired from the above in the 1970s

Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, de Young Museum, San Francisco, October 15, 2005 - February 14, 2010

John A. Friede et al. (ed.), New Guinea Art: Masterpieces from the Jolika Collection of Marcia and John Friede, San Francisco, 2005, pp. 361 (vol. 1) and 136 (vol. 2), cat. 328

Very good condition for an object of this type and age. Age crack extending from hole at top proper left as seen in photographs. Surface weathered. Minor insect damage throughout: scattered holes on the reverse and two areas of losses to surface / pigment on proper left side as seen in photographs. Second arch-shaped element, below tongue, broken and glued with a loss as seen in photographs. Small abrasions, chips, nicks, and scratches consistent with age and use. Fine crusty surface with red, white, black and blue pigment and residue, especially on bottom portion.
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.

This ceremonial carving, or mindja, was created by a Mayo artist from the Yessan (Yasyiu) village in the Washkuk Hills on the upper Sepik River in the East Sepik River Province of Papua New Guinea. Friede (2005: 136, text to cat. 328) notes: "Mindja carvings were employed in the second phase of the sacred yam ceremonies, mindjama, of the Washkuk Hills people.  They usually represented water spirits and were used in pairs in Novermber, at the beginning of the wet season.  They were placed together with many yams in a conical pile in the ceremonial house.  See Newton (1971: 87, 101, and 102); see also Kaufmann (1968: 96-101) and Bowden (1983: 73-77).  This carving was stated by Christian Kaufmann to be a generation earlier than the related ones in the Museum der Kulturen, Basel.  See Kaufmann (1980, fig. 114).  Newton also states that the Mayo mindja carvings, like those of the Kwoma, were large and had concave faces, unlike the flat, smaller version of the Nukuma (Newton 1971: 87 and 90)."