Art For Sale Archive - Oceanic Arts Australia

A Superb Old Garuda Mask Himalaya Area India or Tibet

A Superb Old Garuda Mask Himalaya Area of India or Tibet

This beautifully carved old Garuda Mask has the most expressive face that is highly three-dimensional making it more sculptural than an average mask. The feathers on the top of the head are depicted as a crown showing its spiritual importance.

Historically, from classical Indian mythology, Garuda was originally an ancient Hindu sun symbol, half vulture, half-man, who served as the vehicle of the god Vishnu and his wife, Lakshmi, and lived on a diet of Nagas (snakes).

It is not known exactly how old the Garuda is, but from the beginning of the universe, Vishnu, who maintains order, rides a Garuda. The Garuda’s body can grow to cover the whole sky or shrink to the size of a canary. Most of the time, the Garuda appears with the body of a bird with a human torso.

In Buddhist belief, Garuda became the vehicle of Vajrapani and, paired with a twin, the symbol of the transcendent Buddha Amoghasiddhi.

Garuda is yet another form in which various buddhas arise to remove disease and injury caused by Nagas and poisoning. Metaphorically the worst ‘poisons’ are desire, hatred and ignorance.

When the Garuda devours snakes and swallows the poisons of delusion, jealousy, and hatred, and then can transform them into renewed strength, illuminating his body and stretching his wings even more to soar into space.

In Tibetan Buddhism, the Garuda is seen as a protective image decorating doorways and talismans. We can also see the Garuda as one of the four dignities—the four creatures representing the qualities of lungta, or the Wind Horse, one for each cardinal direction: Garuda in the north; Snow Lion in the east; Tiger in the south; and Dragon in the West (in some regions, the directions may change).

They are commonly depicted on lungta prayer flags, which flutter in the wind in high places so that the prayers written on them can be spread to the whole world. The Garuda is also a yidam, especially in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, which prescribes important specifications about his colour and implements so that the practitioner can visualize the Garuda completely.

Provenance: Old Collection Australia & The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic & Asian Art

See my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY showing the Museums and Art Galleries Exhibitions that I provided artworks for over the past 40 years. There is the link to the article about my artworks published in the prestigious Louvre Magazine in 1996

I have artwork for Museums and art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery. I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specializes in New Guinea and Oceanic Art. Sydney is very close to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbors.

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A Superb Japanese Carved Wood Bonito Tuna for Fisherman’s Shrine

A Superb Japanese Carved Wood Bonito Tuna Fish made for a Fisherman’s Shrine by the Master Carver Ushioda Kousai (1909-1981)

Since the Kamakura period (1185–1333) Tuna Fish has been worshiped by fishermen, in the Nakiri area as a local deity with the legend of Dandarabotchi remains, and a straw sandi-hiki ritual is held every September to pray for a big catch of Tuna. It is also often used as an offering in Tosa Province’s shrine Ema Offering a province of Japan in the area of southern Shikoku where prayers for a big catch, good harvest, prosperous business, and good luck.

This superbly carved statue of a Bonito Tuna Fish is carved to approximately two-thirds of the real Bonito Fish. The dynamic yet realistic lacquering and fin formations represent the thoughts and prayers of the fishermen who struggle with Bonito every day when fishing. The Sculpture has a spirit that seems to have been carved into it. This is a masterpiece filled with sensitivity and faith, with lovely round eyes and a slightly open mouth that show the observational eye of a fisherman.

A large, plump, and splendid bonito. Not only do you feel the warmth that only wood carving can provide, but It also has tension and feels heavy. The dull & glowing fish-like colours are also beautifully reproduced. This is a work that perfectly expresses the power of swimming vigorously through water.

Provenance: Carved by the Master Carver 潮田皓哉Ushioda Kousai (1909-1981) He studied wood carving under master sculptors Keiun Kato and Masahiro Sawada, both of whom were students of Koun Takamura, and followed the lineage of Koun Takamura, the king of modern wood carving, with a solid style that valued traditional carving and was active and recognized at Japan Fine Arts Exhibition and Shinkaijusha Exhibition for a long time.

This Sculpture comes with an appraisal box with a signature. The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic & Asian Art

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Eight Beautiful Colour Drawings by Fritz Klee (1876 – 1976) Signed & Dated 1955

Eight Beautiful Abstract Colour Drawings by Fritz Klee (1876 – 1976) Signed & Dated 1955

These magnificent abstract organic hand drawings are ornamental compositions in bold, bright colours by the German artist Fritz Klee.

Professor Fritz Klee (1876 Würzburg – 1976 Stuttgart), was a German porcelain designer and architect, founding director, and long-time professor at the State Porcelain School in Selb. In 1910 Fritz Klee designed the exhibition space at the World Exhibition in Brussels. In 1911 Fritz Klee was appointed Royal Bavarian Professor because of his outstanding achievements. From 1917 to 1922 Klee was also the artistic director of the porcelain factory art department at Lorenz Hutschenreuther A.G., for which he made a large number of designs until 1939. In 1939 Prof. Fritz Klee left Selb and the college for the porcelain industry at his own request after 31 years of hard work and success. he moved to Stuttgart with his wife Frieda. But that was not the end of his work, after this time numerous graphics were created by him, at the age of 99, the professor still practiced drawing and creating brightly coloured collages daily. Prof. Fritz Klee was 100 years old and died on December 12, 1976, in Stuttgart Germany

I bought these drawings for myself as I am always looking for vintage modern artwork that goes well with my Oceanic Art Sculptures, old and new look amazing together just as they do on the Surrealist Andre Breton’s Office Wall now on permanent display at the Pompidou Centre in Paris

Provenance: Fritz Klee (1876 – 1976) & The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic Art

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A Superb Old Cubist Sculpture by by Japanese Artist Katsumi Koremasu Signed & Dated 1966

A Fine Old Cubist Sculpture by Japanese Artist Katsumi Koremasu Signed & Dated 1966

This finely carved Cubist Sculpture by the Japanese Artist Katsumi Koremasu, dated 1966 you can see the influence of Picasso and other early 20^th Century Western Artists. Carved from a single piece of hardwood, the two heads; one on the right playing flute and the figure on the left appear to sing with his mouth open, and his eyes are shown at different angles & sizes.

是松勝美 Katsumi Korematsu Born in (1931) Okayama prefecture, Japan

Graduated from Bunka Gakuen Art Department

Musashino Art University Carving Department

Member of Jiyubijutsu (Free Art) Association – Tokyo

Art Works Exhibited in

Matsumura Art Gallery – Nipponbashi, Tokyo

Nabisu Art Gallery – Ginza, Tokyo

Akasaka Gallery Sanko – Tokyo

Cubism is a Modern art movement that emerged around 1907 in Paris, France. Four important characteristics of Cubism are the application of multiple perspectives, the use of geometric shapes, a monochromatic colour palette, and a flattened picture plane.

Cubism’s novel handling of form, colour, and perspective signalled a shift from the existing conventions of European modernist painting. Cubism reimagined the treatment of form by rejecting the traditions of perspective, modelling, and foreshortening. The result of this method was a heavily abstracted composition that represented the subject from all angles or with overlapping picture planes.

Cubists intended to depict the entire structure of objects and people in their paintings without using techniques such as perspective or graded shading to make them look realistic. They wanted to show their subjects as they were rather than create an illusion of an object or person.

The use of linear perspective and the illusion of depth favoured by the Renaissance movement were in stark contrast to the two-dimensionality that Cubists worked to define. Cubist artists depicted their subjects from multiple perspectives simultaneously, working to represent every angle of the subject on the flat surface of a canvas and within a single picture plane.

Cube-like imagery, as well as other geometric forms like cones, spheres and cylinders often appear in early Cubist paintings and again later in the movement in Cubist sculptures. Cubists felt they could portray a subject’s form more accurately by using geometric shapes to represent its various sides and angles. The use of geometric shapes replaced techniques such as perspective and shading, which also emphasized the two-dimensional flatness of the canvas

Provenance: Old Japanese Collection / The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic & Modern Art

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A Superb Abstract Metal Sculpture ” Twisted by Fate”

A Superb Abstract Metal Sculpture ” Twisted by Fate”

This beautiful Steel Sculpture was a found object, an accidental sculpture created when a building was demolished. I was visiting someone & I saw it lying under their table and immediately saw it as a sculpture and asked if I could buy it. I knew what it would look like standing up on a custom base. It’s not only the beautiful form but also the rusted patina & wear that add to its beauty.

After I acquired the sculpture I had it wrapped in brown paper & carried around while visiting friends, even wrapped in brown paper it looks like a sculpture or a piece of wild ginger root.

You can decide for yourself on its aesthetics as an artwork. Many people from the art world who have seen it in my gallery all had the same feeling as myself, it is a great sculpture

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic Art

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A Superb Collage Sculpture “Many Faces” by Japanese Artist Mr. Okada Noboru better known as “The Strange Knight “

A Superb Collage Sculpture “Many Faces” by Japanese Artist Mr. Okada Noboru better known as “The Strange Knight “

This beautiful collage sculpture is comprised of many individual carved wood faces that are put together in a mosaic, each of the expressive faces shows all ranges of emotions and are in different sizes & shapes.

This artwork reminds me of the many masks & faces I have collected in Oceanic Art over my lifetime.

Noboru could be considered an Outsider Artist as he was self-taught and seemed to mostly make artwork for himself. Okada lived a life of strangeness and solitude, as his artist name suggests, however, about 20 years ago, he decided to leave the city and open his own Mask Museum, whenever he appeared in public, he would wear his own masks to avoid the eyes of others; he lived as a masked man with about 20 rescued cats.

Okada’s private museum was located in Nasu Highlands in Tochigi Prefecture in Japan, he has more than 20,000 original masks that he made from scrap materials on display inside the museum, and covering the entire outside building in masks and sculptures. The museum was closed after he died in 2018.

It is thought that the masks Okada creates are a kind of assemblage in which daily necessities and discarded items are reassembled, and the familiarity of the materials used brings him closer to the viewers.

Provenance: Made by Okada Noboru circa 1988 and was exhibited in the 1989 Kanazawa Crafts Award Japan

The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic & Asian Art

Okada Noboru Artworks Exhibited in Public Exhibitions in Europe

The Collection de l’Art Brut – Lausanne, Switzerland “Art Brut from Japan, Another Look – November 30, 2018 Through April 28, 2019”
https://www.artbrut.ch/en_GB/exhibition/japan-another-look

The Outsider Art Fair – Paris Oct 2020

A SELECTION OF WORKS FROM THE OUTSIDER ART FAIR –PARIS

Art Brut from Japan, another Look – November 2018 to April 2019

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A Fine Collection of Antique African Passport Masks West Africa

A Fine Collection of Antique African Passport Masks West Africa

Most Dan face masks genre, and those of the culturally related groups of Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia, are commonly executed in a miniature form, ranging in height between 6 and 20 centimetres.

Even the largest miniatures are too small to be worn in front of the face, and they rarely exhibit any means by which they may be attached to anything. The most common mask type represented in such a diminutive form is deangle (attractive mask with slit eyes, performs a feminine behaviour)

Miniature masks bear many names: the most common is ma go (small head), but depending on scholarship it has also be named gba po (thing which is fed), or nyonkula (substitute for the ancestors). Echoing the variety of names, they fulfill a variety of functions. Anyone who has a spiritual connection with a mask, or whose family owns an important mask, is entitled to commission a miniature. Rubbed with oil and food, they are wrapped up and kept on the owner’s body or among his possessions and function as portable and personal forms that share the power and protective force of the full-sized mask.

Miniature masks are carved to embody tutelary spirits and serve as testimony to the presence of the spirit associated with a large masquerade. When a mask-owner is travelling, the miniature mask serves as an important means of identification outside his immediate community. This role that may have given it the commonly applied name of “passport mask.”

Diviners can advise individuals to commission a miniature mask for preventative, protective, or curative purposes.

In addition to being the property of one single individual, in certain instances miniature masks may also play a communal role in secret societies. They are among the sacred objects displayed at men’s society meetings to protect the men collectively, and can be shown to new initiates. On these occasions they are interpreted to be representations of the benevolent spirits associated with the most important masquerades of the area. They are used as sacred objects for taking oaths and for swearing to tell the truth.

Whether personal or collective, miniature masks must be fed regularly to remain strong and able to help their owner. Food may be simply set before it, or the offering, such as rice or oil, may be rubbed or poured onto it. On special occasions a sacrificed chicken’s blood is spilled onto the mask. The range of offerings and use explain the variety observed in the miniature’s patinas.

Provenance: Many Old Collections from Europe & North America. The Todd Barlin Collection of African & Oceanic Art

Sources
Fischer, Eberhard and Himmelheber, Hans. The Arts of the Dan in West Africa. Zurich: Museum Rietberg, 1984
Grootaers, Jan-Lodewijk and Bortolot, Alexander, Eds. Visions from the Forests: The Art from Liberia and Sierra Leone. Exh. Cat. Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Seattle and London: The University of Washington Press, 2014
Johnson, Barbara C. Four Dan Sculptors: Continuity and Change. Exh. Cat. The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. M. H. de Young Memorial Museum. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986
Vandenhoute, Pieter-Jan, 1938–1939 unpublished field notes, as cited by Claessens, Bruno in Refined Eye, Passionate Heart: African Art from the Leslie Sacks Collection. Amanda M. Maples Ed. Milano, Italy: Skira, [2013]

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Three Antique African Amulet Figures Lobi People Ivory Coast & Songye People Congo

Three Antique African Amulet Figures; two from the Lobi People of the Ivory Coast & Songye People from the Congo

These three small African Amulet Figures are small-scale artworks but BIG in sculptural beauty, each figure was selected by me because of their aesthetics and age. The two amulet figures on either end are from the Lobi People called bateba phuwe and are from Ivory Coast or Burkina Faso both West African Countries, Lobi artists are renowned for their realistic figures; the one on the far left has a large navel poking out and has a beautiful old patina from long handling. The other Lobi Amulet on the far right, is a male figure in classic Lobi style, and it also has a beautiful old patina from long use.

The middle figure is from the Songye people, sometimes written Songe, who are a Bantu ethnic group from the central Democratic Republic of the Congo. The people of Songye believe in a supreme being Ele-ife, however, he is not praised as much as ancestral spirits. Ancestral worship is very prevalent within Songye culture, it is believed that the spirit of their ancestors is more accessible to them due to their shared experience of being alive, as a result of this, these spirits have a connection to both the land of the living and the dead and can enact their will on the community via ancestral images like this little figure

I bought these little African Figures because of their aesthetics and age and I wanted to see how they looked displayed with my small Oceanic Artworks, they all look amazing together. There is something very special about small-scale artworks when grouped they become something more, a family of small artworks, a collection,

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of African & Oceanic Art

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Superb African Antique Kissi Penny Iron Currency Liberia Sierra Leone West Africa 19th C

Superb African Antique Kissi Penny Iron Currency Liberia Sierra Leone West Africa 19th Century

The Kissi Penny was an iron currency made in Sierra Leone that circulated widely near its production among Gbandi (Bandi), Gola, Kissi, Kpelle, Loma, Mandinka and Mende and other people of Liberia, Sierra Leone.

During the late 19th century, Kissi pennies were minted from the natural iron ore located in what is known today as Liberia, Serra Leone, and Guinea. Referred to by the Kissi people as Kilindi, the Europeans who colonized the region referred to them as Kissi pennies or Kissi money. During this time, Kissi pennies began to circulate in the African regions along with European and American paper money.

Kissi pennies are thin, twisted rods of high-quality iron with one end molded into the shape of a “T” called niling (ear) and the other end shaped into a flat spatula-like form called kodo (foot). One of the possible reasons for its unusual shape could be because it is almost impossible to alter or shave the penny without the tampering being noticeable.

Due to the unusual human-like shape, the Kissi people believed the pennies held souls. Rods vary in size from about 6’’ to 18’’ with longer ones being of higher value. Generally, Kissi pennies were fastened into bundles of twenty rods as a single Kissi penny was not worth much. There are different proposed explanations about why Kissi believed this currency held souls: the shape may resemble an abstract human form, and the iron-working process contains symbolic meanings. If a Kissi penny were to break, the loss of the soul devalued the penny. Only the Zoe, a trained blacksmith, could repair it, for a fee, the Zoe would rejoin the broken penny to restore the missing soul.

West Africans from the region of modern-day Liberia and Sierra Leone have used iron as a trading good and standard of value for a long time, Ironworking had developed in the region by ca. 600

Even after they were discontinued for use as currency, Kissi pennies continued to be employed in the society of the region, for example, as tokens of completing rituals in the Poro and Sande Societies; as bride wealth, and also to be placed on tombs and graves, where they were believed to channel the souls of the dead.

Provenance: Allen Christensen Collection 1908-1981 with original label

The Todd Barlin Collection of African & Oceanic Art

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A Fine Old African Door Lock Banama People Mali or Senegal West Africa 19th Century

A Fine Old African Door Lock Banama People Mali or Senegal West Africa 19th Century

This beautiful old Door Lock is in the form of an abstract ancestor figure, the triangular-shaped head likely represents a type of traditional hairstyle. The body comprises the lock mechanism on the back & the front has finely incised geometric designs.

These door locks were generally used to protect houses and granaries. Bamana door locks range from abstract and symbolic to representations of ancestors. They are usually larger and more figurative than those of their Dogon neighbours.

Door locks were given as gifts to young brides and were passed down as heirlooms from generation to generation. The locks tended to be given names according to the message, ancestor or story to which their form and motifs referred. The form of motifs employed in door locks usually are invested with symbolic messages despite their formal simplicity. These messages, both in abstract and representational imagery, can be deeply personal. The stylized figure is usually a representation of an ancestor whose presence is required to ensure protection from bad spirits or sorcery. An addition of animal representation enhances the power of the ancestors and therefore provides additional protection.

Mechanically, the locks consisted of two parts. The vertical element which was nailed to the door, and the horizontal element, or bolt, secured the door to the frame. The bolt typically had five parts that together resulted in a locking mechanism that was highly secure against those who didn’t know how to use the key. But the importance of the lock had little to do with its physical complexity and strength. Rather, the power of the lock came from its magical content, whether real or imagined.

As recently as 60 years ago. the houses in the villages of the Bambara in Mali were distinctive because of finely carved wooden door locks.

These door locks were intended to prohibit the entrance into the house of evil persons or evil spirits. In particular, the locks were one part of a widespread effort to control Nyale. Nyale is the god or life force that represents creativity and fertility and energy, but unless controlled results in chaos. The strength and complexity of the locks was reinforced by the perceived power of the forces of stability and calm to deal with any intruders. For example, the inverted triangular form at the base of the vertical pieces of these locks could represent a python’s head. The python was regarded as a symbol of god and thus a potent guard against sorcery and magic.

Provenance The Todd Barlin Collection of African & Oceanic Art

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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

Archives: Art For Sale

A Superb Old Garuda Mask Himalaya Area India or Tibet

A Superb Japanese Carved Wood Bonito Tuna for Fisherman’s Shrine

Eight Beautiful Colour Drawings by Fritz Klee (1876 – 1976) Signed & Dated 1955

A Superb Old Cubist Sculpture by by Japanese Artist Katsumi Koremasu Signed & Dated 1966

A Superb Abstract Metal Sculpture ” Twisted by Fate”

A Superb Collage Sculpture “Many Faces” by Japanese Artist Mr. Okada Noboru better known as “The Strange Knight “

A Fine Collection of Antique African Passport Masks West Africa

Three Antique African Amulet Figures Lobi People Ivory Coast & Songye People Congo

Superb African Antique Kissi Penny Iron Currency Liberia Sierra Leone West Africa 19th C

A Fine Old African Door Lock Banama People Mali or Senegal West Africa 19th Century

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