Fine Old New Guinea Lime Spatulas Tufi Area Oro Province Papua New Guinea

Fine Old New Guinea Lime Spatulas Tufi Area Oro Province Papua New Guinea

This Fine Collection of Five  Lime Spatulas from the Tufi Area in Oro Province Papua New Guinea. Dating from the 19th Century to early 20th Century.

Each spatula has very fine incised designs on both sides, the designs relating to a specific clan and their body tattoo designs. All of these beautiful old Lime Spatulas have dark shiny patina from decades of use.

Betel nut chewing is very much part of daily life for people all over Papua New Guinea, The betel nut, the seed of the Areca palm, is common across Asia and the Pacific.  In Papua New Guinea, where it is known locally as “buai“, it is consumed with a mustard stick dipped in slaked lime powder (burnt & crushed seashells)

The traditional artists of New Guinea make beautiful implements to use when chewing betel nuts such as lime gourds to hold the lime, & beautifully carved and decorated wood spatulas like these and in many areas beautiful carved mortar & pestles used to crush betel nuts when older and lacking strong teeth.

Some of the most beautiful small-scale artworks in New Guinea are made for chewing betel nuts.

The spatula is used to put lime into your mouth to chew with the betel nut. This brings out the alkaloid in the betel nut that is a stimulant much like a cup of coffee or nicotine.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art

I first went to Papua New Guinea in 1985 for an adventure & what I found was that I really enjoyed being with the people of New Guinea, over the next 38 years I spent extensive time spent collecting and documenting traditional art & ceremonies in remote areas of Papua New Guinea & West Papua, The Solomon Islands & Vanuatu & the other Pacific Islands countries. During these travels, I made major collections of New Guinea & Oceanic Art for major Museums and Public Art Galleries

I was honoured by being in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine for the collections I made for The Museum of African & Oceanic Art Paris in 1996 (now the Musee Quai Branly) for the exhibition “Asmat et Mimika d’ Irian Jaya April 1996 At THE MUSEE NATIONAL des ARTS D’AFRIQUE et d’ OCEANIE, Paris

See all of the links & photos in my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY and there is the link to the article in the prestigious Louvre Magazine 1996

I have artwork for Museums & 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 specialises in New Guinea & Oceanic Art. Sydney is just a couple hours’ flight to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbours.