YANGORU-BOIKEN, Papua New Guinea.

YANGORU-BOIKEN, Papua New Guinea. “Talipwon,” a large Turbo marmoratus shell adorned with an ancestral mask surmounted by a bird figure crafted with intricate basketwork. These objects, crafted in the Yanguru region, were traded by the Yanguru people with the neighboring Iatmul, who sought them out as essential items for dowries; hence their designation as “currency” in Europe. H. 37.5 cm. Provenance: Private collection in Sologne (by inheritance).