Archives: Art For Sale

Art For Sale

A Finely Carved Old Solomon Islands Staff  from the Star Harbour Area San Cristobal 

A Finely Carved Old Solomon Islands Staff  from the Star Harbour Area on Makira Island or St Cristobal 

This finely carved & shell inlay Staff was carved by a master carver during the 1940s and it was likely a gift from a local man to an American or Australian soldier stationed there during WW2.  The imagery consists of an ancestor figure who is being bitten by a crocodile, this is a consistent motif in Solomon Islands art and relates to a mythological story, the other images are totemic animals & sea creatures.

The Solomon Islands in the southwest Pacific form a double chain, roughly 850 miles long, between New Britain and Vanuatu. The archipelago is remarkable for the richness of its decorative arts, which serve to adorn the human body and embellish ceremonial and utilitarian objects. Solomon Islanders are particularly remarkable for their sophisticated traditions of shell inlay, in which delicately carved sections of mother-of-pearl or white shell are inset into the surfaces of wood objects as shown in this very fine sculpture.

The photos of the Staff do not do the artwork justice, it is often the case where the artwork held in one’s hand gives the full experience of how beautiful the staff truly is.

It has a custom stand

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Solomon Island and Oceanic Art

A Fine Old Japanese Tengu Mask from the late 19th Century Signed by Artist 

A Fine Old Japanese Tengu Mask from the late 19th Century, Signed by Artist 

This fine old Tengu Mask from Japan was carved by a master carver and signed in Kenji.

Carved from two pieces of hardwood ( the mask is a single piece & the nose is a separate piece). Once the carving was completed it was covered in red & black lacquerware finish with great effect.  The artist had the ability to make the sculpture feel powerfully alive

The Tengu or “Heavenly Sentinel” is a type of legendary creature found in Japanese folk religion. They are considered a type of yōkai (supernatural beings) or Shinto kami (gods). The tengu was originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey, and they are traditionally depicted with both human and avian characteristics. The earliest Tengu was pictured with beaks, but this feature has often been humanized as an unnaturally long nose, which today is widely considered the Tengu defining characteristic.  They are also thought to be parallel to the Garuda, a legendary bird or bird-like creature in Hindu, and Buddhist mythology, and influenced by Sarutahiko Ōkami, a native Shinto deity.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Private Collection of Asian and Oceanic Art

 

 

A Fine Collection of Antique Kwere or Zaramo Doll Figures Tanzania East Africa

A Fine Collection of (18) Antique Kwere or Zaramo Doll Figures from Tanzania in East Africa

The Zaramo mwana hiti, meaning “child of wood,” is used in initiation ceremonies of the Kwere, Zaramo, Luguru, and Gogo people of Tanzania in East Africa

According to  Adenike Cosgrove:

” Zaramo mwana hiti figures carry both practical and symbolic significance. They serve as companions for young girls during the initiation ceremony, as they are separated from their families during the process as well as childless married girls and women. Sometimes such figures are used as a form of adornment. They can be used to decorate the ends of musical instruments, walking sticks, furniture, or grave posts. The physicality of the object also provides a tangible connection to clan ancestors, turning the figure into a family heirloom to be passed down from generation to generation.

During the initiation process, the wooden figure is given to the female initiate by a maternal uncle. The ceremony educates the initiate on the ideal qualities of womanhood: hard work, generosity, prudence, and a nurturing disposition. In addition to this, she also receives sex education, instruction on how to please her husband, and ways to stay connected to her family. Following the conclusion of the ceremony, the initiates carry the figures around their necks and are expected to take great care of the figure to ensure and protect their own fertility. ”

These figures were collected over the past 40 years, whenever I saw a really good one for sale I bought it, and when I found a better example I would deaccession the lesser one and keep the best figure.

When you see them together as a collection they look their finest as a group of small-scale sculptures that expand your imagination.

Provenance: Many Past Old Collections in the USA & Europe:  The Todd Barlin Collection of African Art

 

A Superb Old Lake Sentani Net Weaving Shuttle Set NW Coast West Papua

A Superb Old Lake Sentani Net Weaving Shuttle Set from West Papua (Irian Jaya ) Indonesia

This beautiful old Lake Sentani Net Weaving Shuttle Set was one of the first artworks that I collected on Lake Sentani 38 years ago. It comprises three pieces used for weaving fishing nets or other types of woven objects, there is a flat weaving shuttle that is finely carved from hardwood with pairs of totemic lizards at either end, and the flat part in the middle is carved with finely incised scrolling designs called fou which is a chiefly design used on artworks made for the chiefly families or Ondafi.  The two wood needle-like objects are also deeply incised with fou designs and the ends which are open to me look like bird’s beaks which you can see clearly in one photo.

The string that was used for weaving was hand-made from tree bark that was made by women in their spare time.  When I was there I didn’t see any traditional string or rope being made in Lake Sentani because they had nylon string & rope and making it from tree bark was no longer necessary.  In the remote villages in the Asmat & Marind Anim & Baliem Valley, I often saw women making tree bark strings whenever they had a spare moment.

I was told that this Weaving Set belonged to the family’s grandparents as an heirloom that was no longer used in weaving.

They are on two custom stands as seen in the photos

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic Art

A Fine Old Hair Comb Ornament Malaita Island Solomon Islands19th Century

A Fine Old Hair Comb Ornament Malaita Island Solomon Islands19th Century

See more Fine Oceanic Body Ornaments and Art Objects in Ornaments & Artifacts Gallery

This very beautiful old Hair Comb Ornament is from the Kwaio People from Malaita Island in the Solomon Islands.

The combs are decorated with woven red & yellow orchid stems to make fine geometric designs on the front of the combs.

The combs were made in the late 19th Century, they were worn in the hair as ornaments and sometimes they had feathers or colored fiber attached to the tops of the comb. They were called Kafa Gwaroa Doe.  These I field collected in the remote Kwaio area in central Malaita 40 years ago.

The Solomon Islands are famous for the very finely made ornaments like these Hair Combs.

Fine Comb Ornaments like these and Shell Money Ornaments are an important type of traditional currency in the Solomon Islands and throughout the Pacific Island in general.  Traditional wealth objects like these were often part of a bridal dowry or used payments for compensation in disputes about land or gardens. Each family had some hair comb ornaments and sets of shell money ornaments that were worn on important ceremonial occasions.  The two old field photos both show men wearing combs in their hair.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Solomon Islands Art

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

A Superb Antique Massim Wealth Spatula Milne Bay Province Papua New Guinea

A Superb Antique Massim Wood and Red Shell Money Wealth Spatula from the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea

This beautiful Wealth Spatula is called Ghena Ngaa is one of the most elegant forms of traditional wealth made in New Guinea.  The form is of an upturned canoe and was used primarily as a wealth item that is presented to a widow as the final bride price payment when her husband dies.

The final funeral ceremonies can take years to plan as it requires large amounts of traditional food to feed the many guests for the ceremony that can last up to one week. The feast essentially cleans the widow allowing her to remarry.  The Ghena are the most important objects kept by families in memory of the dead.

Ghena is made in both wood & turtle shell and both are made solely to display the beautiful red shell money discs that represent not only great wealth but the traditional status of the family of the deceased.

This fine example I have kept this for a very long time just to enjoy looking at it each day.

Provenance:  The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic Art 

INQUIRE HERE

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

Four Superb Old Marupai Charms Orokolo Bay Papuan Gulf Area Papua New Guinea

Four Superb Old Marupai Charms from the Elema People Orokolo Bay in the Papuan Gulf Area of Papua New Guinea

Marupai is a type of magical charm that most men owned & used in the Papuan Gulf cultures. Carved from dwarf coconuts and finely incised over their entire surface with Ancestral Spirits just like the better-known Gope Spirit Boards from the same area. They are almost certainly from the 19th Century as they were collected in 1948.

Marupai were often kept inside little woven bags that sometimes were tied together in groups, men wore them or carried them in their bags to protect themselves & their families from malevolent sorcerers or bad magic.  They were also used as Hunting Charms, to control the weather & for love magic.

I personally had experienced the use of magical charms on me by older men in New Guinea to help with pain, and they worked

Marupai are masterpieces of small-scale sculpture, these deserve to stay together and are being sold together.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic Art

INQUIRE HERE

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

A Superb Old Bullroarer Orokolo Bay Papuan Gulf Area Papua New Guinea

This Superb Old Bullroarer is from the Elema People of Orokolo Bay in the Papuan Gulf Area of Papua New Guinea

Finely carved with Ancestral Spirits just like the better-known Gope Spirit Boards from the same area. They are almost certainly from the 19th Century as they were collected in 1948.

Bullroarers are a type of musical instrument that when tied to a string a swung around and around quickly produce an otherworldly sound that is thought to be the voices of powerful ancestral spirits. They are used during important ceremonies inside the sacred men’s Ceremonial Houses where they are never seen by women or the uninitiated.

The Elema People or Orokolo Bay produced some of the strongest artworks in the whole Papuan Gulf Area. These are the finest examples I have ever owned.

Bullroarers use in other cultures goes back to Ancient Greece where it was a sacred instrument used in the Dionysian Mysteries, it is also used by the ancient cultures of Australian Aboriginal People in their traditional ceremonies

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic Art

INQUIRE HERE

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

A Superb Old Bullroarer Orokolo Bay Papuan Gulf Area Papua New Guinea

This Superb Old Bullroarer is from the Elema People of Orokolo Bay in the Papuan Gulf Area of Papua New Guinea

Finely carved with Ancestral Spirits just like the better-known Gope Spirit Boards from the same area. They are almost certainly from the 19th Century as they were collected in 1948.

Bullroarers are a type of musical instrument that when tied to a string a swung around and around quickly produce an otherworldly sound that is thought to be the voices of powerful ancestral spirits. They are used during important ceremonies inside the sacred men’s Ceremonial Houses where they are never seen by women or the uninitiated.

The Elema People or Orokolo Bay produced some of the strongest artworks in the whole Papuan Gulf Area. These are the finest examples I have ever owned.

Bullroarers use in other cultures goes back to Ancient Greece where it was a sacred instrument used in the Dionysian Mysteries, it is also used by the ancient cultures of Australian Aboriginal People in their traditional ceremonies

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic Art

INQUIRE HERE

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

A Superb Old Food Bowl Eastern Highlands Province Papua New Guinea

A Superb Old Food Bowl from the Eastern Highlands Province Papua New Guinea

This beautiful form of Food Bowl called Jompa was collected in Korofeigu Village in the Bena Bena area in the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea in 1961 by the anthropologist Lewis Langness.

The shape of the bowl is a sculptural form of great beauty, both the front & back views are as good as the other. The bowl has a deep black shiny patina from decades of use and storage in a smokey traditional house environment.

I have owned a number of these Eastern Highlands Bowls over the past 40 years but this is my stand-out favorite.

The bowl is a pure sculpture, one does not need to know where it’s from or what its purpose is to be able to see it as a beautiful sculpture, it is as elegant as any Brancusi or Henry Moore.

Provenance: Collected in 1961 by the anthropologist Lewis Langness

The Kirby Kallas Lewis Collection Seatle Washington

The John & Marcia Friede / Jolika Collection: Published in  ” New Guinea Highlands: Art from the Jolika Collection: 2017 Page 270

The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic Art

INQUIRE HERE

If you have a similar “object” for sale please contact me for the best price and honest advice by a Government approved valuer 

To see many more rare items and the finest masterpieces, please make an appointment with us to visit the gallery.

For all inquiries, please contact us.

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