Middle Sepik River Pigment Dish-Fortess Collection-Oceanic Art
It is surprisingly hard to photograph Sepik pigment dishes. They are small and have so many important and beautiful angles to them. They are best appreciated in hand so one can both turn them readily and feel the surface quality. But these images are my best attempt. I wanted to highlight first the deeply and expertly carved bottom with its two spirit faces and the raised band that connects them—and how that band lifts from the surface of the bowl. Then there are the two animal heads that jut from each end. The classic crocodile on one side and the curved bird’s beak on the other (hornbill?). The dish was field collected by Mark Lissauer from Marap village in the 1960s and was acquired by Leo and Lillian Fortess in 1986 and most recently from the Meder Collection in Philadelphia. The piece dates to the early 20th century, is 14 ¼” (36.2 cm) in length.