Biwat Mask, Yuat River Region, Lower Sepik, Papua New Guinea

Biwat Mask, Yuat River Region, Lower Sepik, Papua New Guinea
height 12 1/2in (31.8cm)

Provenance
Reportedly the Ethnographic Museum of Dresden, Germany
Arthur Speyer II, Berlin, reportedly in exchange with the above in 1975
Wayne Heathcote, London and New York
American Private Collection, acquired from the above in 1993

Biwat artists carved a variety of masks, yet they mostly share the same characteristics of the work presented here: overall bulbous design in oval form with rounded pierced nose, pursed projecting lips with open mouth, and great emphasis on the eyes. In the present work, the eyes, tongue and top of the head are accented with ochre pigment; pierced around the rim and through the ears for attachments.