Spirit Board, Era-Kipaia Ethnic District, Gulf of Papua, Papua New Guinea

Kópe

Field number '232' and collection date '28.2.66' in pencil to the reverse

Collected in the village of Ubuo (Gope ethnic district) by Thomas Schultze-Westrum on February 28, 1966
Private Collection, Germany

Good condition overall, with wear typical for an object of this age and type and use within the tradition context. Some wear, chips, nicks, and minor losses throughout, as partially visible in the catalogue illustration. Proper left leg missing, as visible in the catalogue illustration. An old crack to the proper top left and some vertical age cracks, again as visible in the catalogue illustration. Black, ochre, and white pigments, the latter in particular well encrusted in places.
"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."

In 1966 Thomas Schultze-Westrum collected several kópe and kakáme spirit figures in the village of Ubuo in the Gope ethnic district. These boards, including the present lot, do not resemble the Gope style so much as that of the Era-Kipaia ethnic district, which lies to the east. Schultze-Westrum (private communication) notes that in the village of Aimei (Era-Kipaia), he collected “a kópe which is almost identical” to the present lot, “especially in the design of the mouth.” He concludes, therefore, that the present kope was forcibly removed from Era region and taken to “old Ubuo”. Aumari Moiopu, Schultze-Westrum’s informant in Ubuo, told him that the villge of Baravi, upstream from Aimei on the Era River, was the subject of raids by the people of old Ubuo.

Schultze-Westrum adds that the kópe which he collected in Aimei was the work of an artist named Gabagi who had apparently worked in a village called Ikoru, long abandoned by the time of Schultz-Westrum’s visit. The similarities between the kópe collected in Aimei and the present lot suggest that this kópe may also have been created by the Era-Kipaia artist Gabagi.