An Original Pair of Fine Old New Guinea Male & Female Brag Masks Coastal Sepik Area East Sepik Province in Papua New Guinea

A Pair of Fine Old New Guinea Brag Masks Coastal Sepik Area East Sepik Province in Papua New Guinea

Powerful Brag Masks like these fine examples were only danced on rare occasions, including the initiation of young males and at times of scarce food and other village hardships.

This is a true matched pair of male and female masks that were danced together.  They were owned by a clan and each Brag Mask had a known personal name and was danced by an initiated male who was completely concealed in a plant fibre costume covering the whole body of the dancer. The dancer becomes the powerful Brag spirit for the time it is being danced.

These Masks are finely carved with intricate clan designs with layers of ochre & some trade paint which shows their importance.

In the Sepik River area people’s ceremonial & spiritual life revolves around masks, usually, dance masks worn by a select person but also large masks for the gables or windows of the monumental Ceremonial Haus Tambaran or Men’s Ceremonial House where all the important rituals & initiations take place and where scared objects like masks are stored and venerated.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art

See all of the links & photos in my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY  showing the Museums & Art Gallery 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 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 New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbors.

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