A Fine Pair of Old New Guinea Amulet Figures Coastal Sepik Area, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea

A Fine Pair of Old New Guinea Ancestor Figure Amulets from the Coastal Sepik Area, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea

These beautiful Amulet Figures; are a male & female pair by the same artist.  Small amulet figures like these were kept by men in small woven bags or even sometimes woven into their beards. They were used for magical purposes such as; love magic, controlling the weather,  hunting for wild pigs & cassowaries, and protecting the owner and his family from malevolent sorcerers & the spirit world.  These two old small-scale sculptures are finely carved and ochre painted and are on custom made stands that show them at their finest

Provenance: This pair of small Ancestor Figures was collected by George Elias in 1953. Elias was an Australian Crocodile hunter working in the middle Sepik area in the early 1950s. Elias was asked to be the local fixer for the expedition of The Museum of Natural History and The National Geographic Society that arrived in Kanganaman Village in December 1953. Just before the expedition arrived in New Guinea, the entrepreneurial Elias asked the locals if they had any “Old Carvings “ that he could buy knowing they would also be trying to buy carvings. He bought these two small figures during this time & he kept them all of his life.

This expedition was documented in the publication” ET Gillard’s Ethnographic Photos on the Middle Sepik River: Kanganaman 1953-54 “  in Pacific Art, Persistent Change  Meaning “By George Corbon Crawford House Press 2002 ( pages 60-81)  ( see one of the photos field photos above )

Further Provenances:

The Elizabeth Pryce Collection of Oceanic Art, Sydney  Australia

The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea 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 in1996 (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.