Club
Ramu River Region, 19th C.
Provenance: Old French Collection, Bertrand Bottet, Nice. Published: Oceanic Art, Bruce Frank Primitive, 2016, fig. 7. Similar example published in Kunst vom Sepik, vol. 3 fig. 453.

This rare example of a Ramu River Club is elaborately carved. The three dimensional diamond shaped body of the club is carved in a series of anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures on one side, while the other is left polished, exposing the wood’s beautiful patina. Two individual ancestor faces are present on the club’s handle, providing the object with power and protection. If you turn the club to the side, the zigzagged chins of the ancestor faces appear almost like the mouth of a crocodile, with the end of the club emerging out of its jaws.

Height: 34 inches
IN 3-11-16 / SOLD

 

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