oceania | Papua New Guinea
Iatmul Skull
Papua New Guinea
Overmodeled skull
Iatmul
Middle Sepik, Papua New Guinea
First half of the 20th century
Skull, pigments, hair, shells
Height: 17 cm – 6 ¾ in.
Provenance
Collection Emil Storrer, Zurich
Collection Jacques and Denise Schwob, Brussels
Giquello & Associés, January 31, 2023, lot 150
Iatmul overmodeled skull / Galerie Flak
Price on request
For the Iatmul from the Middle Sepik region, the head by itself contains all of the substance of a being. It is for this reason that the skulls of ancestors were carefully preserved and revered. The features of the dead person were recreated in clay modeled over the skull, before other details were painted on, much as if it were a portrait. According to local beliefs, it was the spirit of the dead person himself who shaped his face using the hands of the sculptor as his intermediary. Only a few peoples of the Sepik (Iatmul, Sawos, Kapriman, Yimar, ...) made and used overmodeled skulls. During important ceremonies, the skulls were displayed, stuck on woven or carved figures. The rest of the year, they were carefully kept in the Men’s House.
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