RARE AND EXTREMELY LARGE TUMBUAN GABLE MASKS.
Papua New Guinea; Middle Sepik region; Sangriman at the junction of the rivers Krosmeri and Blackwater. First half of the 20th c. Abelam people group.

Rotang frame; braided with reddish climbing fern (Lygodium) and painted with earth pigments. The flat; bowl-shaped mask shows a stylized face with a ridge for the nose; which is elongated until the mouth; which is shown by two ridges placed laterally. The eyes are worked separately and appliqu閐. There are five ear-like arches at the sides and below. Unusual is the good condition of the overpainting; which is likely to be rubbed off due to the flexibility of the woven material.

For the Abelam the cultivation and processing of yams is central. The various stages are celebrated with ceremonies and festivals. This also included dances in robes and masks. Such large masks; however; where fixed on the pediment of the up to 25 meters high; richly decorated cult and ghost houses. They are the main place for meeting with the ancestors and were reserved for men. Height 146cm; width 123cm; depth 53cm. Condition A/B.

Provenance:
-Since the middle of the 20th c. in the collection of Gerd Rosen (1903-61); Berlin. Acquired locally.
-Collection Detlef Rosen; D黶seldorf.

Compare:
-A similar; but slightly smaller piece is located in the Rockefeller Memorial collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; New York.

Info Detlef Rosen CollectionArt trade; Van Ham.