Asmat Figure-W.M. Visser 1957-New Guinea Art-Oceanic Art
Asmat figurative sculpture is some of the most striking in Oceania. Older pieces with definitive provenance are quite rare. This one is exceptional for both its aesthetic qualities and well documented history. It was collected by the medical doctor W.M. Visser in 1957/58—see attached field photograph with the figure in situ third from left. Importantly the object was then on long term loan in the Museum of Ethnology in Leiden, The Netherlands—see museum registration card prepared by Dr. Simon Kooijman on January 15, 1959. The original museum inventory number B-109-22 is painted on the back of the figure’s neck. The sculpture has wonderful, upturned arms with huge, splayed hands, robust legs with deeply carved designs, a clear female sex and an alert active facial expression with pierced nose, open mouth and tongue extended. There are remains of pigments. The figure dates to the 1940/50s, stands 38 ¼” (97.1 cm) in height.