Ornament, aire Iatmul, Moyen Sepik, Papouasie Nouvelle-Guinée

Ancienne collects ion du Tucson Museum, Arizona
collects ion Marcia et John Friede, New York

Good condition overall. Wear consistent with age and use within the culture. Cracks in the clay modelled head at the end of the handle. The left side of the face is missing.
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Ce très rare ornement partage avec les embouts d'étuis à chaux cérémoniels, à la fois la forme et l'iconographie. S'inscrivant dans une puissante dynamique linéaire, le casoar - identifié à sa crête osseuse - et le crocodile au-dessus duquel il se dresse, associent les allégories parmi les plus répandues dans l'aire Iatmul, des ancêtres créateurs de clans.

Il se distingue par la présence d'une tête en argile surmodelée à son extrémité, piquée de longs brins de cheveux - l'embout se transformant ainsi en poignée et indiquant un vraisemblable usage comme ornement de danse.

Combinant les deux formes les plus emblématiques de l'art de l'aire Iatmul - sculpture et surmodelage - il offre de surcroît une superbe qualité de sculpture, finement ouvragée à l'outil de pierre. L'artiste a remarquablement traduit l'allure fière du volatile par le mouvement de la crête osseuse amplement déployée et de la courbure du bec. Le très beau jeu de courbes et de contre-courbes est accentué par le dessin serré des motifs champlevés, rehaussés de pigments rouges et blancs.

A dance ornament, Iatmul, Middle Sepik, Papua New Guinea

This rare ornament shares its form and iconography with ceremonial lime container finials. Rendered in a dynamic and linear style, the cassowary (which can be identified by its bony crest), together with the crocodile beneath it, feature in the most commonly used allegories of ancestor creators.

This object is characterised by the over-modelled clay head at the end, which has been pierced with several long pieces of hair. The fact that the end thus seemingly forms a handle would appear to indicate that this object was used as a dance ornament.

The artist has created a remarkable depiction of the proud appearance of the bird through the sense of movement conveyed by the bony crest and the curve of the beak. The fine play of the curves and counter-curves is accentuated by the compact design of the incised motifs, further heightened by the use of red and white pigments.