Masque, Nord de la Nouvelle-Irlande

Collection Roberto Echaurren Matta (1911-2002)
Transmis par descendance
Collection privée

Good condition overall. Wear consistent with age and use within the culture. Upper part of the proper right projecting part has been broken and glued. The polychromy is still visible, although partially worn away. 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.
"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."

Matta s'inscrit parmi les artistes surréalistes dont la sensibilité fut profondément ébranlée par les arts de Nouvelle-Irlande. Dès le milieu des années 1940, son œuvre se nourrit brillamment du vocabulaire formel et pictural de ces arts de Mélanésie : "la relation entre les personnages de Matta et les figures malangan nous entraîne, par-delà les affinités, dans le domaine des influences directes (Rubin in 'Primitivism' in 20th Century Art, 1984, vol. I, p. 55). Il en fut aussi un fervent collectionneur (cf. Evrard, Arts primitifs dans les ateliers d'artistes, 1967, n° 133 et 135). 

Ce masque, qui intervenait lors de danses rituelles, vraisemblablement aux cours des cérémonies malangan commémorant les défunts dans le Nord de la Nouvelle-Irlande, relève d'un des types les  plus rares. Il s'apparente en particulier aux deux masques figurant sur une photographie prise en 1911 dans l'appartement du marchand berlinois Arthur Speyer (Schindlbeck, Gefunden und Verloren, 2012, p. 100), et à celui conservé au Museum für Völkerkunde de Hambourg (inv. 87.84:4), collecté en 1887. Au sein de ce très étroit corpus, le masque Matta se distingue par la remarquable qualité de la sculpture et du décor pictural, et par son superbe état de conservation, révélant les signes de sa grande ancienneté.