Iatmul Ceremonial Lime Container-New Guinea Art-Jolika Collection-Oceanic Art
Iatmul Ceremonial Lime Container
Iatmul culture, Middle Sepik River, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea
Jolika Collection of Marcia and John Friede
Wayne Heathcote, London
Irene Beard Collection, London
Pre-contact, stone-carved, 19th century
29 1/8” (74 cm) in length
The best Sepik River art, in fact the best New Guinea art, combines elegance and refinement with an unquestionable archaic quality. As with this ceremonial lime container there is a harmony to the repetitive curves and a sophistication in the balance between solid and void spaces. Yet, the creatures themselves have an almost prehistoric feeling, the carved edges are worn smooth from age, and the pigments, often magical, are applied in thick layers. Hints of the dark, glossy patina show through where the pigments have worn away.
Published in "OCEANIC ART: PROVENANCE AND HISTORY" edited by Michael Hamson, pages 72/73, item 13.