A DARK WOOD 'ANCESTOR'S MINIATURE HEAD' PENDANT, ASMAT PEOPLE
A DARK WOOD 'ANCESTOR'S MINIATURE HEAD' PENDANT, ASMAT PEOPLE
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve
Southwest Papua New Guinea, mid-20th century. Boldly carved, of slightly pointed form, with a grimacing face characterized by bulging eyes beneath a furrowed brow, an aquiline nose, and a broad mouth line, with traces of red pigment. The prominent forehead is carved with striated motifs, echoed on the cheeks. The top of the reverse with a circular loop for suspension.
Provenance: Egeskov Fine Arts, Copenhagen, Denmark, by 2002. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above. In the Jorgen Ruben Collection for 24 years.
Egeskov Fine Arts is a Copenhagen-based gallery specializing in Chinese and Japanese works of art, tribal art, early European works of art, and antiquities. The gallery also deals in Old Master paintings, nineteenth-century French and Scandinavian art, and selected contemporary works, serving an international clientele of collectors and institutions.
Jorgen Ruben is a Danish art dealer and collector who has been active for over four decades and is highly regarded in the fields of Asian art and classical antiquities. Raised in an art-conscious family, Ruben was exposed early to both modern painting and European decorative arts. He began working in the art trade in the mid-1970s, first with Persian rugs and later with antiques, while travels to Iran and a visit to Persepolis sparked his lasting interest in antiquity. After studies in Copenhagen and London, he worked in England with a dealer in early furniture, before travelling widely in Latin America and Asia, deepening his knowledge of regional art and culture. In 1984 Ruben opened a gallery in Copenhagen dealing in Asian antiquities. He was later active in London and, in the early 2000s, operated the Brussels gallery Classic Art. Much of his career, however, has been conducted privately from home, selling by appointment to collectors, galleries, and museums. Ruben has always bought selectively, choosing only works that deeply engaged him, and often keeping them for many years until placing them with a collector he felt truly understood them.
Important Note: For essential information on the
Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger and provenance documentation please visit here: www.zacke.at/rubencollection_ledger
Condition: Good condition with expected signs of handling and appreciation, rubbing to pigments, sparse nicks, and surface scratches. The wood with a fine, naturally grown, dark patina.
Weight: 42.7 g
Dimensions: 11.2 cm
Located in southwestern New Guinea, the Asmat inhabit an extensive network of rivers that flow into the Arafura Sea. With an estimated population of approximately 70,000, the Asmat are organized into several hundred villages, ranging from 35 to 2,000 inhabitants in size.
Wood carving lies at the heart of Asmat artistic and spiritual life, and accomplished carvers, known as wowipits, hold considerable prestige within the community. Their craft is traced to the culture hero Fumeripits, the first woodcarver, whose creative legacy they are entrusted to continue. This tradition reflects the profound Asmat belief in the kinship between humans and trees, with wood understood as a vital source of life.
According to Asmat mythology, Fumeripits was the first being on earth and the creator of the jeu, the ceremonial men's house where community affairs are discussed, artworks produced, and rituals performed. Weary of dancing alone, he felled trees and carved them into human figures, but they remained lifeless. He then fashioned a drum from wood and lizard skin; as he played, the figures stirred, their limbs loosened, and they came to life in dance.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related dark wood human head, Papua New Guinea, Asmat people, 16 cm high, in the British Museum, registration number Oc1969,13.22.
Buyer's Premium
30%
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
A DARK WOOD 'ANCESTOR'S MINIATURE HEAD' PENDANT, ASMAT PEOPLE
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve
Southwest Papua New Guinea, mid-20th century. Boldly carved, of slightly pointed form, with a grimacing face characterized by bulging eyes beneath a furrowed brow, an aquiline nose, and a broad mouth line, with traces of red pigment. The prominent forehead is carved with striated motifs, echoed on the cheeks. The top of the reverse with a circular loop for suspension.
Provenance: Egeskov Fine Arts, Copenhagen, Denmark, by 2002. Jorgen Ruben, acquired from the above. In the Jorgen Ruben Collection for 24 years.
Egeskov Fine Arts is a Copenhagen-based gallery specializing in Chinese and Japanese works of art, tribal art, early European works of art, and antiquities. The gallery also deals in Old Master paintings, nineteenth-century French and Scandinavian art, and selected contemporary works, serving an international clientele of collectors and institutions.
Jorgen Ruben is a Danish art dealer and collector who has been active for over four decades and is highly regarded in the fields of Asian art and classical antiquities. Raised in an art-conscious family, Ruben was exposed early to both modern painting and European decorative arts. He began working in the art trade in the mid-1970s, first with Persian rugs and later with antiques, while travels to Iran and a visit to Persepolis sparked his lasting interest in antiquity. After studies in Copenhagen and London, he worked in England with a dealer in early furniture, before travelling widely in Latin America and Asia, deepening his knowledge of regional art and culture. In 1984 Ruben opened a gallery in Copenhagen dealing in Asian antiquities. He was later active in London and, in the early 2000s, operated the Brussels gallery Classic Art. Much of his career, however, has been conducted privately from home, selling by appointment to collectors, galleries, and museums. Ruben has always bought selectively, choosing only works that deeply engaged him, and often keeping them for many years until placing them with a collector he felt truly understood them.
Important Note: For essential information on the
Jorgen Ruben Gallery Ledger and provenance documentation please visit here: www.zacke.at/rubencollection_ledger
Condition: Good condition with expected signs of handling and appreciation, rubbing to pigments, sparse nicks, and surface scratches. The wood with a fine, naturally grown, dark patina.
Weight: 42.7 g
Dimensions: 11.2 cm
Located in southwestern New Guinea, the Asmat inhabit an extensive network of rivers that flow into the Arafura Sea. With an estimated population of approximately 70,000, the Asmat are organized into several hundred villages, ranging from 35 to 2,000 inhabitants in size.
Wood carving lies at the heart of Asmat artistic and spiritual life, and accomplished carvers, known as wowipits, hold considerable prestige within the community. Their craft is traced to the culture hero Fumeripits, the first woodcarver, whose creative legacy they are entrusted to continue. This tradition reflects the profound Asmat belief in the kinship between humans and trees, with wood understood as a vital source of life.
According to Asmat mythology, Fumeripits was the first being on earth and the creator of the jeu, the ceremonial men's house where community affairs are discussed, artworks produced, and rituals performed. Weary of dancing alone, he felled trees and carved them into human figures, but they remained lifeless. He then fashioned a drum from wood and lizard skin; as he played, the figures stirred, their limbs loosened, and they came to life in dance.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related dark wood human head, Papua New Guinea, Asmat people, 16 cm high, in the British Museum, registration number Oc1969,13.22.
Buyer's Premium
30%
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
