IATMUL, Papua New Guinea.

IATMUL, Papua New Guinea. Wood, seashells, rush weaving, and cassowary feathers. With its elaborate structure, this ancestor mask, topped by a diadem adorned with cypraea shells, combines motifs of the bird, the snake, and the crocodile; the eyes, animated by a conus spiral, lend it a remarkable magnetism. H. 57 cm. (damage and missing parts, repaired with adhesive). Provenance: Private collection in Sologne (by inheritance).