Superbe panneau, malangan, Nord de la Nouvelle-Irlande

Museum für Volkerkunde, Berlin (inv. n° « 2592 : 05 » et « R15 » inscrits au-dessous).
Ancienne collects ion Arthur Speyer Jr., Berlin, vers 1950
Patricia Withofs, Londres, vers 1980

Wear consistent with age and use within the culture. Some hairlines cracks and a small loss to the structure in front of the mammal, visible in the catalogue illustration. No other losses to the complex openwork structure. Some breaks, mainly on the snakes, repaired and glued using original pieces. No restoration. Beautifully fresh polychromy.
"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 stat.mes nt made by Replica Shoes '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."

L'effigie malangan symbolisant, voire éclipsant la dépouille du défunt, "reçoit autant de soins que s'il s'agissait d'une personne vivante - étant animée, et donc autorisée à mourir, elle permet ainsi à l'âme du défunt de parvenir à l'immortalité" (Küchler in Gunn et Peltier, 2007 : 194).

Dotée de la plus haute signification symbolique, cette œuvre malangan s'impose à la fois par son volume remarquable (deux panneaux et une figure intérieure), par la complexité de ses motifs enchevêtrés, la finesse de la sculpture et par la fraîcheur de la polychromie, offrant un exceptionnel témoignage du génie créatif et de la virtuosité des artistes de Nouvelle-Irlande.

cf. Gunn et Peltier (2007 : 233, pl. 95, et 234-235, pl. 96) pour une sculpture malangan horizontale de conception et de qualité comparables dans la collects ion Mia et Loed van Bussel; et pour une autre, entrée en 1905 au Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum de Cologne (inv. 13281).

« Tout objet malangan est un arrangement complexe de symboles réunis en un tout cohérent » (Gunn in Mattet, 2007 : 326). Enserrant dans son bec un serpent, l'oiseau calao s'impose comme la figure centrale de la composition. Selon Michael Gunn (in Gunn et Peltier, 2007 : 232), l'image récurrente de l'oiseau tenant un serpent entre ses serres symboliserait la domination d'un clan sur ses ennemis - le serpent incarnant la destruction progressive de la force vitale du corps humain.

Si l'oiseau, de même que le poisson et le serpent, constituent les animaux les plus couramment utilisés du répertoire iconographique dans lequel puisent les artistes de Nouvelle-Irlande, en revanche la chouette - reconnaissable ici à son plumage facial en forme de cœur - de même que le mammifère surgissant sur le côté, ajoutent à la rareté de ce superbe panneau malangan.

A superb Malangan panel, Northern New Ireland

Malangan effigies such as the offered lot symbolise, or even eclipse the body of the dead, becoming 'the living person himself – being animated, and subsequently allowed to die, thus allowing the deceased person's soul to achieve immortality' (Küchler in Gunn and Peltier, 2007: 194).

Imbued with great symbolic significance, the volumes of this malangan sculpture (two panels and a figure on the inside) are remarkable. The complexity of its inter-woven motifs, the fine quality of the carving, and the freshness of its polychromy display the virtuosity and creative genius of the artists of New Ireland.

cf. Gunn and Peltier (2007: pl. 95, & 234-235, pl. 96) for a horizontal malangan sculpture of comparable quality and design in the collects ion of Mia and Loed van Bussel, and another which entered the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum in Cologne in 1905 (inv. no. 12381).

'Any malangan object is a complex arrangement of symbols joined together in a coherent whole' (Gunn in Mattet, 2007: 326). Holding a snake in its beak, the hornbill is the central figure in this composition. According to Michael Gunn (in Gunn and Peltier, 2007: 232), the motif of a bird grasping a snake may have 'signified the dominance of one bird clan over its enemies', with the snake the incarnation of the progressive destruction of the life force of the human body.

The bird, the fish and the snake are the most commonly used animals in the iconographic repertoire of New Ireland artists. The two other animals represented here however, the owl, recognisable by its heart shaped facial plumage, and the mammal are less commonly seen, adding to the rarity of this superb malangan panel.