14th Mar, 2024 10:30

Spring Specialist Sale

 
Lot 147
 

Ethnographica - Carved wooden skull hook / hanger or 'Agiba', Kerewa people, Papua New Guinea

Ethnographica - Carved wooden skull hook / hanger or 'Agiba', Kerewa people, Goribari Island, Papuan Gulf, Papua New Guinea, incised hardwood and natural red pigments, 82cm high

For another agiba, see https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/311237 where stated:

Headhunting was an integral
element of religious practices throughout the Papuan Gulf, honouring the spirits (imunu) whose powers sustained the community. Kerewa men formerly lived in communal men-only houses divided into cubicles in which the members of each
clan or subclan slept. Each cubicle housed a clan shrine containing one or more agiba and other sacred objects.

The agiba symbolized the vitality and martial prowess of the clan, presiding over the skulls obtained by its members.
The skulls were hung from the agiba by loops of rattan placed over the hook-like projections at the base. At times,
a platform was constructed below the image to support the weight of the assembled skulls. Only men who had captured
an enemy head were entitled to carve agiba.

Estimated at £200 - £300

 

Ethnographica - Carved wooden skull hook / hanger or 'Agiba', Kerewa people, Goribari Island, Papuan Gulf, Papua New Guinea, incised hardwood and natural red pigments, 82cm high

For another agiba, see https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/311237 where stated:

Headhunting was an integral
element of religious practices throughout the Papuan Gulf, honouring the spirits (imunu) whose powers sustained the community. Kerewa men formerly lived in communal men-only houses divided into cubicles in which the members of each
clan or subclan slept. Each cubicle housed a clan shrine containing one or more agiba and other sacred objects.

The agiba symbolized the vitality and martial prowess of the clan, presiding over the skulls obtained by its members.
The skulls were hung from the agiba by loops of rattan placed over the hook-like projections at the base. At times,
a platform was constructed below the image to support the weight of the assembled skulls. Only men who had captured
an enemy head were entitled to carve agiba.

Auction: Spring Specialist Sale, 14th Mar, 2024

Our Spring Specialist Sale of Fine Furniture, Modern Design, Paintings, Prints, Silver, Jewellery, Watches, Ceramics, Glassware & other Collectors

In what promises to be an exciting and eclectic sale, lots to be offered include an original watercolour by His Majesty King Charles III, a Victorian platinum and diamond tiara, and less regally but no less impressive, a rare early draft film script for “Raiders of the Lost Ark”.

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Wednesday 13th March - 10am till 5pm

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