Boiken Plate with Four Ancestral Spirit Faces-New Guinea Art-Oceanic Art
This really is a superb Boiken wooden plate. The carving is deep and precise with a clear composition of featuring four ancestral spirit faces surrounding a complex stylized turtle motif. Yes, there are minor age cracks and the top lug is nearly broken off but otherwise the plate is in excellent condition with a dark brown patina inside and out. It dates to the late 19th century, is 16 1/8” (41 cm) in diameter.