Masque, Île de Pentecôte, Vanuatu

Selon les informations transmises par mémoire familiale :
Collecté in situ par James Mansfield ca.1900
Collection du capitaine Francis Joseph Bayldon (1872-1948), Sydney
Collection du Reverend Joe Wood Bayldon, Lincolnshire, ca. 1910
Transmis par descendance
Collection privée, Royaume-Uni

Wayne Heathcote, Londres
Collection privée

Good condition overall. Wear consistent with age and use within the culture. Fine thick dark patina. 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."

Selon les informations transmises par mémoire familiale, c'est vers 1910 que le révérend Joe Wood Bayldon, demeurant dans le Lincolnshire, reçut ce masque de son fils, le capitaine Francis Joseph Bayldon. Entré dans la marine marchande britannique en 1887, ce dernier voyagea à travers les îles du Pacifique avant de s'installer définitivement, en 1910, à Sidney. C'est au cours de ses voyages qu'il constitua une importante collection d'artefacts provenant en particulier de Papouasie Nouvelle-Guinée, des îles Salomon, du Vanuatu, de Nouvelle-Calédonie et des îles Fidji, dont plus de deux cent cinquante entrèrent à sa mort dans les collections de l'Australian Museum. Il aurait acquis ce masque du négociant James Mansfield, installé entre 1890 et 1910 sur l'île d'Ambrym, période durant laquelle il soutint activement l'œuvre hospitalière du Dr. Robert Lamp, qui soignait les populations des îles d'Ambrym et de Pentecôte. 

Provenant de la région Sud Pentecôte, les masques de style juban/chuban forment un corpus très restreint. Si leur usage est peu documenté, on sait qu’ils « jouaient un rôle important au sein de certains aspects de rituels concernant les liens entre les hommes et les tubercules d’igname » (Huffman in Vanuatu Océanie ; Arts des îles de cendre et de corail, 1996, p. 23).

Chacun de ces masques présente une sculpture très individualisée, superbement illustrée par les trois pièces collectées par Felix Speiser entre 1910 et 1912 et conservées au Museum für Völkerkunde de Bâle (Ethnology of  Vanuatu, An early twentieth Century study, 1923, rééd. 1990, pl. 90, n° 1, 2 et 3), et ceux acquis par le révérend Alexander Morton entre 1887 et 1892 (Sotheby’s, New York, novembre 2006, n° 234 et Sotheby’s, Paris, juin 2008, n° 57). Tout en se distinguant par la concentration de ses traits, le masque Bayldon, avec l’imposant volume frontal déterminé par la courbe tendue des arcades sourcilières, les orbites profondes, la saillie des pommettes et du nez recourbé en ajour, la bouche ouverte sur des dents signifiées et le tenon ponctuant l’extrémité du visage, s’apparente notamment à l’un des masques Speiser (idem, n° 2), à celui de la collection Georges Ortiz (Sotheby’s, Londres, 29 juin 1978, n° 119), et au masque de la collection Monzino (Sotheby’s, Paris, septembre 2002, n° 89). Sa profonde patine sombre à la surface légèrement croûteuse, les marques des outils de pierre et l’histoire de sa collecte, attestent de sa grande ancienneté.

 Mask, Pentecost Island, Vanuatu

According to information provided by family memory, it was around 1910 that the Reverend Joe Wood Bayldon, living in Lincolnshire, received this mask from his son, Captain Francis Joseph Bayldon. The latter joined the British Merchant Navy in 1887 and traveled through the Pacific before finally settling in Sydney in 1910. During his travels he formed an important collection of artifacts, especially from Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Fiji. More than 250 of these objects entered the collections of the Australian Museum after his death. He had acquired this mask from the trader James Mansfield, who lived on the island of Ambrym between 1890 and 1910. Throughout this period Mansfield actively supported the medical work of Dr. Robert Lamp, who cared for the people of the islands of Ambrym and Pentecost.

From the southern region of Pentecost, masks of the jubwan/chubwan style form a very small corpus. Whilst their use is little documented, it is known that they 'played an important role in certain aspects of rituals concerning the links between men and yam tubers' (Huffman in Vanuatu Océanie ; Arts des îles de cendre et de corail, 1996, p. 23).

Each jubwan/chubwan mask is a very individualized sculpture; this point is well illustrated by the three masks now in the Museum für Völkerkunde, Basel, which were collected by Felix Speiser between 1910 and 1912 (Ethnology of Vanuatu, an Early Twentieth Century Study, 1923, repr. 1990, pl . 90, Nos. 1, 2 & 3) and by the two masks acquired by the Reverend Alexander Morton between 1887 and 1892 (Sotheby's, New York, November 2006, lot 234 and Sotheby's, Paris, June 2008, lot 57). While differing in the concentration of its features, the Bayldon mask, with its imposing front volume determined by the tense curve of its eyebrows, its deep eye-sockets, projecting cheekbones, openwork nose, and its bared teeth, is closely related to one of the masks collected by Speiser (ibid., no. 2); the mask from the George Ortiz collection (Sotheby's, London, 29 June 1978, lot 119); and the mask from the Monzino collection (Sotheby's, Paris, September 2002, lot 89). The deep dark patina, slightly encrusted surface, marks from stone tools, and the collecting history all attest to the great age of the offered mask.