Papua New Guinean Masks

A very decorative fertility mask by the Baule tribe, associated with the Akan people who live both in Ghana and in the Ivory Coast. The sides with three...

Masks from the Pende people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are considered some of the most dramatic works of African art. The Pende have defined an extensive range of mask forms, many with distinct characters embodied during ritual ceremony. Colored by red and white pigments, this Pende mask...

This very flat mask originates from the Atoni people of Timor. For the Timorese people masks portray both male and female ancestors, worn by warriors to scare off enemies or during c...

Large sized Songye Female Kifwebe mask from The Congo circa 1920s. Traditionally, the Kifwebe mask is very symbolic in the Bantu culture of central Africa. Its striking colours and carving symbolise the battle between good and evil. Female Kifwebe masks represent femininity, the continuation of life and a good omen. These masks were used for wedding ceremonies, reproduction rituals and other such occasions. This large mask...

On offer is a rare large sized 'Singe' Monkey mask from the Bulu people of south central Cameroon. The Bulu are a sub-group of the Cameroon Fang, having originated from Gabon. This...

Intriguing good looking mask artistically made of combination of hand crafted beads ,shells , and hand painted wood. To make such a exceptional object of art for display. Custom-mad...

This very flat mask originates from the Atoni people of Timor, featuring two very small eye holes. For the Timorese people masks portray both male and female ancestors, worn by warri...

Antique Ethnic Artifact Sepik River Cassowary Bone from Papua New Guinea For many groups in Papua New Guinea, bone was an important medium for making tools of all types. This artifact is made from leg bone of a cassowary, a large, flightless, and extremely dangerous, bird. Cassowaries also play an important role in the mythology of groups in the Sepik River area. Though no longer used these bone artifacts are still used ceremonially. They often play important roles in male initiation and other rituals. They are also worn as personal adornment by tucking them into a band of braided fibers worn around the upper arm. Antique Ethnic Bone Cassowary Artifact with minimal carving and incised design confined to the joint end. A small hole has been drilled through from both sides of the top and presumably for the threading of a cord. The bone has been partially divided near the top and to form two prongs that project down the back of the dagger possibly allowing the user to wear is tuck into a waist band or belt. Origin Papua New Guinea Maprik Dist Area From the Art Collection of Marian and John Scott, acquired in 1962. Similar items are in display in the Timothy S. Y. Lam Museum of Anthropology. Purchased from the amazing private collection of Mark Lissauer who spent his life collecting niche ethnographic pieces. About Mark Lissauer: Mark Lissauer spent forty years travelling abroad for months at a time collecting ethnographic artefacts primarily from New Guinea and the islands of the West Pacific, and from Asia and Himalayan countries. Fluent in five languages and having in the course of business travelled to more than forty countries, Mark is well-known to museums and art-collectors around the world for his long career and his interesting and diverse collection of rare ethnographic material. Mark knows the origin and symbolism of each piece. Through extensive research and more than ninety trips around the globe, Mark familiarised himself with the traditions of the various cultures he visited in order to understand the meaning of each object to its region and tribe. His home has a specialist library and several rooms are filled with tribal carvings, textiles and ethnographica. He acquired his first tribal piece in 1948 during a business trip to Milne Bay, New Guinea, and has since documented the acquisition of some 35,000 items. Several thousands of these have been sold to important private collections and museums worldwide, including the Rockefeller Museum, the British Museum and the Musée National des Arts d’Afrique et d’Océanie, now incorporated into the Louvre Museum. Estimator certificate of authenticity by Wayne Heathcote Tribal Art Dealer and Expert. Heathcote has a flash gallery in Brussels, where much of the tribal art business is centred, and is an expert at Sotheby's tribal art sale...

This graphic Songye Kifwebe mask has fine carved lines curved over the eyes and diagonal lines radiating from the nose and mouth in classic Kifwebe form. ...

This rare antique Kukukuku (pronounced "cookah-cookah") war club is from the remote Morobe Province located within the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. The head is carved from...

An beautiful Wooden Statue from Papua New Guinea from the Sepik Region, a seating figure with the typical Sepik features, good patina and shine of the wood, powerful object

This early 20th century ‘Wayang topeng’ mask was used in Javanese masked dance performances. Measures: Height with stand 47cm; Height 18cm x Width 14cm...