Tatanua Mask, New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea
Lot closes
December 10, 04:15 PM GMT
Estimate
12,000 - 18,000 EUR
Starting Bid
10,000 EUR
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Read more.Lot Details
Description
Tatanua Mask, New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea
Haut. 35 cm, Long. 43 cm, Larg. 17 cm ; Height. 13 ¾ in, Length. 16 ⅞ in, Width. 6 ¼ in
American Private Collection
Sotheby’s, New York, African and Oceanic Art, 11 November 2005, lot 26
Kevin Conru, Brussels, 2014
French private collection
Kevin Conru, Bruxelles, Bruneaf, 2014 été ou hiver?
In northern New Ireland and the Tabar Islands, ritual life revolved around Malagan funerary ceremonies, full of richly diverse symbols and totemic figures. Among them, Tatanua masks stand out as the most iconic - embodying the spirit or soul of the deceased. Worn during public dances by the young men of the village, these masks symbolise timeless beauty, power and presence.
Described as early as the late 19th century by ethnologists such as Richard Parkinson and P. Gerh. Peekel, these ritual objects reflect both an idealized form of masculine beauty and the memory of important individuals.
Designed to impress people and unsettle them, it acts as a powerful talisman intended to ward off evil spirits, thus combining beauty, strength and protective function in a single piece of sacred art.
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