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An ancient Papua wooden substitute headhunters's head
$13,691.24
£10,083.57
€11,400
CA$18,625.87
A$20,697.45
CHF 10,845.68
MX$253,817.31
NOK 138,330.36
SEK 130,136.13
DKK 86,786.45
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About the Item
Papua New Guinea, 18th-19th century
L. 22.5 x W. 18 cm (approx.)
Provenance:
Collected by Schulze-Westrum
Collection Rinck Hollnberger, Munich (purchased in the 1980s or 1990s)
For a comparable skull see the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The heads of humans and of animals such as crocodiles and pigs formerly played integral roles in the ceremonial life of Papuan Gulf peoples, who considered the heads to be vessels of life-giving supernatural power. Within men’s ceremonial houses, human skulls were displayed, together with sacred images such as spirit boards or gope, by the members of each clan in a specially constructed clan shrine. However, not all heads required the death of an enemy. In some areas, heads made from wood or other materials appear to have had powers equal to actual ones. In contrast to skulls, the facial features of wood heads were sometimes depicted as they appeared in life.
This example comes from the Wapo Creek area, where wood heads appear to have been used interchangeably with actual skulls. When headhunting was abolished by Australian colonial authorities in the early 1900s, Wapo Creek peoples were encouraged to substitute animal skulls. However, they refused, preferring instead to use wood heads like this one.
- Dimensions:Height: 7.09 in (18 cm)Width: 7.09 in (18 cm)Depth: 8.86 in (22.5 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:19th century or earlier
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Amsterdam, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU5458242044352
About the Seller
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