New Ireland Ges Dance Mask with Feathered Eye Wings, Libba Village
Oceania, Papua New Guinea, New Ireland, Libba Village, ca. 1950–1975 CE. A helmet mask whose face all but disappears behind two enormous lentoid eyes, each a panel of mesh bark fiber stretched on a rattan frame and fringed with down feathers, their tapering arms sweeping upward and out into tasselled wands. Carved from softwood, the compact head carries a perpendicular, wing-like openwork nose rising between the eyes, a small pursed mouth below, and a chevron-painted collar in red ochre, black, and cream. Vegetable-fiber hair is bound over a rattan armature at the crown. Known as Ges, and sometimes as Pi, masks of this type were danced in a fertility ceremony held when the Kapiak, or breadfruit, feast was prepared. Size: 25.5" H (64.8 cm H).
Northern New Ireland masking traditions are usually discussed through malagan and tatanua, the great carved memorial sculptures of the island's mortuary cycle. The Ges belongs to a different register: lighter, made largely of perishable bark fiber, feather, and rattan over a modest wooden core, and tied to horticultural increase rather than to the dead. Breadfruit ripening was a communal event of real consequence, and the dance that accompanied the Kapiak feast asked for abundance in the season ahead. The construction reflects that seasonal logic, since much of the mask is assembled fresh from garden and forest materials, which is why complete field-collected examples with their fiber eye-panels and feather wands intact are far less common than their carved counterparts.
A copy of the receipt accompanies the lot.
Provenance: Private NYC. collection, ex. Chris Boylan, New Guinea Primitive Arts, Sydney, 1992. Field collected in the mid 1970’s.
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #
73385
Buyer's Premium
30%
Oceania, Papua New Guinea, New Ireland, Libba Village, ca. 1950–1975 CE. A helmet mask whose face all but disappears behind two enormous lentoid eyes, each a panel of mesh bark fiber stretched on a rattan frame and fringed with down feathers, their tapering arms sweeping upward and out into tasselled wands. Carved from softwood, the compact head carries a perpendicular, wing-like openwork nose rising between the eyes, a small pursed mouth below, and a chevron-painted collar in red ochre, black, and cream. Vegetable-fiber hair is bound over a rattan armature at the crown. Known as Ges, and sometimes as Pi, masks of this type were danced in a fertility ceremony held when the Kapiak, or breadfruit, feast was prepared. Size: 25.5" H (64.8 cm H).
Northern New Ireland masking traditions are usually discussed through malagan and tatanua, the great carved memorial sculptures of the island's mortuary cycle. The Ges belongs to a different register: lighter, made largely of perishable bark fiber, feather, and rattan over a modest wooden core, and tied to horticultural increase rather than to the dead. Breadfruit ripening was a communal event of real consequence, and the dance that accompanied the Kapiak feast asked for abundance in the season ahead. The construction reflects that seasonal logic, since much of the mask is assembled fresh from garden and forest materials, which is why complete field-collected examples with their fiber eye-panels and feather wands intact are far less common than their carved counterparts.
A copy of the receipt accompanies the lot.
Provenance: Private NYC. collection, ex. Chris Boylan, New Guinea Primitive Arts, Sydney, 1992. Field collected in the mid 1970’s.
SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700.
PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception.
Item #
73385
Buyer's Premium
30%
