A Superb Old Food Pounder Coastal Sepik River Area Papua New Guinea

A Superb Old Food Pounder Coastal Sepik River Area Papua New Guinea from 19th to early 20th Century 

This superb old Food Pounder is from the Coastal Sepik Area or Schouten Islands and it was used for smashing taro root into a pudding. The finely carved finial is in the form of an important clan male ancestor with a possum or cuscus on his head.  People in New Guinea made very beautiful daily use objects like this food pounder that were always a reminder of their powerful clan ancestors.

Carved from a single piece of hardwood and it has a deep dark patina from years of use and from being stored in a smokey house.  Old pounders like this one were family heirlooms passed down through generations.

Provenance: The Dr. Peter Elliot Collection Sydney Australia ( 1927-2014) Dr. Elliot was a great collector of Oceanic Art and Indonesian among a large collection of Australian Indigenous & non-indigenous fine art.  Parts of his collection are now in major public collections around Australia and around the world.

The Todd Barlin Collection of Papua New Guinea and Oceanic Art

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