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A Fine Old New Guinea Shield Mendi Valley Area Southern Highlands Papua New Guinea

A Fine Old New Guinea Shield Mendi Valley Area Southern Highlands Papua New Guinea

This beautiful old and well-used shield is from the Mendi Valley area of the Southern Highlands Province of  Papua New Guinea. This type of oval shield is called Worrumbi  in the local language and was used during tribal fighting with other nearby groups, there was regularly shifting alliances made & broken, and fighting over land boundaries was common.  A shield belonging to an important man became a family heirloom, and often a shield had a personal name and many stories were attached to it.  This shield shows significant age with deep black glossy patina. Carved from a single piece of hardwood. the rope handle is attached through two holes in the centre of the shield, painted with red, white ochre.  Early 20th Century

In 1969 Mankind Magazine No . 7 Pages 59-66  there is an article ” The Style in New Guinea Highlands Shields ” by J.A. Abramson is one of the best articles with line drawings of the types of New Guinea Highlands Shields.  The other good publication on the Shields of New Guinea is a fine book called ” The Shields of Melanesia ” 2005 edited by Harry Beran & Barry Craig,  I wrote several chapters in this book and 22 of the shields published are from my private collection of New Guinea Shields

Provenance:   Field Collected in the Mendi Valley in 1985 and part of my private collection of shields that has been hanging on the wall in my house for 35 years

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 specializes 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 neighbors.

INQUIRE HERE

 

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.

 

A Fine Old New Guinea War Shield, Wahgi Valley, Western Highlands Papua New Guinea

See more Shields in Shields Gallery

A Fine Old New Guinea War Shield, Wahgi Valley, Western Highlands Papua New Guinea

This old and well-used shield was collected in the Wahgi Valley in the Western Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea in 1965 -1966 by a geologist working in New Guinea. The bold design is started by a punctated pecking that becomes the outline for the designs that are painted in yellow, white, and black colours. This shield has signs of being well used in fighting because of the many arrows and spearheads embedded in the front of the shield. Wahgi Valley Clans have a range of designs that they use on their shields, each design is likely to belong to a specific clan and can be easily recognized by enemies and clansmen alike. Warfare was widespread among traditional enemies in neighboring areas and alliances were made & broken regularly between groups. These large rectangular shields were used in battle by two men, one pushing the shield forward and another warrior hiding behind the shield and free to use his bow and arrows with great accuracy.  Old photos of fighting in the New Guinea Highlands show many warriors with shields facing off over a large space where people surge forward and then move back.  I have seen warriors standing on rural dirt roads with their shields expecting a fight, this was in the 1980s, and later when people acquired guns then shields became obsolete due to their not being effective against modern guns.  This shield has some small village repairs done with rattan which are part of the story of the shield, the overall condition of the shield is very good.  Hanging on the wall in my home it looks amazing.  The shield would have been made in the 1930s as it was old when collected in 1965.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art 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.

 

INQUIRE HERE

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.

 

A Fine Old New Guinea War Shield Remote Eastern Asmat Area West Papua Irian Jaya

A Fine Old New Guinea War Shield Tijak Area, Remote Eastern Asmat Area, West Papua Irian Jaya Indonesia 

This old and well-used shield was collected on the Upper Eilanden River Area during a field trip in 1985.  At this time the people were still living nomadically in the forest in tree houses for safety. Sometimes you did not see any people going up the river but on the way down there would be men waiting on the river bank to see who was in their area from the sound of an outboard motor on my canoe.

This Shield was from the same people as the one published in the book ” Shields of Melanesia ” 2005 Edited by Harry Beran & Barry Craig. The chapter 6.1 pages 155 – 165 were written by me and the shield on page 161 Fig 6.8 is very likely to be by the same artist, the design is very close each other.

Asmat Shields were important objects that venerated their ancestors, each shield had a personal name and when invoked during warfare the enemy was said to be frightened or stunned and easy to kill. Old shields were family heirlooms.

I spent a lot of time in the Asmat region in the early 1980’s and old used Shields of this quality in the Coastal and Northwest Asmat Areas were rare. Many of the artworks I field collected then are now in major museum collections around the world including The Musee du Quai Branly Museum in Paris, when you walk into the Oceanic Art Pavilion at The Musee du Quai Branly the first thing you see are the monumental ancestor poles from the Asmat & Mimika along with Dance Costumes Shields and large Soul Canoe , all of these were field collected by me. Originally they were in an exhibition ” Asmat et Mimika at The National Museum of African and Oceanic Art in 1996 (now that museum is part of The Musee du Quai Branly).  The exhibition the Asmat and Mimika in 1996 was published in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine see the link below and a photo of the exhibition above.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of  New Guinea Oceanic & Indonesian Art

INQUIRE HERE

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.

A Fine Old New Guinea War Shield Asmat People Upper Brazza River Area Asmat West Papua

A Fine Old New Guinea War Shield Asmat People Upper Brazza River Area Asmat West Papua

This superb old and used shield was field collected in 1985 as I visited the Upper Brazza and Kolof River Areas in the remote Eastern Asmat Area on the South Coast of West Papua (Irian Jaya) Indonesia. (seen in the field photo of the day I acquired the shield) at that time of the collection, the people in this area were still nomadic roaming the forest and living in tree houses for protection. This old guy just appeared on the side of the river with his shield, we had no common language and I showed him some trade goods as money was unknown to them, he wanted my knife and we made a happy trade a knife for the shield. In the field photo, the man seems quite happy.  The villager’s attire was that men were basically naked except for sometimes tying a leaf over their foreskin.

The bold design is deeply carved into the shield and highlighted with red, white, and black ochre. The top of the shield represents a stylized ancestor face. There is a similar shield that was collected by the famous field collector and expert on Asmat Art (and also my friend) Tobias Schneebaum, and published in his book “Asmat Images “1985 Page 91 Fig G and now in the Asmat Museum in Agats Central Asmat & run by the Catholic Croiser Mission there.

Asmat Shields were important objects that venerated their ancestors, each shield had a personal name and when invoked during warfare the enemy was said to be frightened or stunned and easy to kill.

I spent a lot of time in the Asmat region in the early 1980s and old and used Shields of this quality in the Coastal and Northwest Asmat Areas were rare. Many of the artworks I field collected then are now in major museum collections around the world including The Musee du Quai Branly Museum in Paris, when you walk into the Oceanic Art Pavilion at The Musee du Quai Branly the first thing you see are the monumental ancestor poles from the Asmat & Mimika along with Dance Costumes Shields and large Soul Canoe, all of these were field collected by me. Originally they were in an exhibition ” Asmat et Mimika at The National Museum of African and Oceanic Art in 1996 (now that museum is part of The Musee du Quai Branly).  The exhibition the Asmat and Mimika in 1996 was published in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine see the link below and a photo of the exhibition above.

Provenance: Field Collected by Todd Barlin 1985.  The Elizabeth Pryce Collection Sydney, The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art 

INQUIRE HERE

 

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.

A Fine Old New Guinea Shield Asmat People West Papua Irian Jaya Indonesia

A Fine Old New Guinea Shield Asmat People West Papua Irian Jaya Indonesia

This beautiful old and well-used shield was collected by me in Djakapis in 1985.  At that time Djakapis village was one of the most remote villages in the North West Asmat Area.

Asmat Shields were important objects that venerated their ancestors, each shield had a personal name and when invoked during warfare the enemy was said to be frightened or stunned and easy to kill.

None of the villagers spoke even a small amount of  Bahasa Indonesia so all interaction between us was done by just watching each other and pantomime. The owner of the shield in the field photograph has his name recorded along with the name of the carver of the shield. Also at this time, there was still sporadic tribal fighting with Irogo and Pupis villages generally over the kidnapping of women which is their only way to increase their genetic pool in a small village.  Djakapis is a small village of less than 50 people.

I spent a lot of time in the Asmat region in the early 1980s and old and used Shields of this quality in the Coastal and Northwest Asmat Areas were rare. Many of the artworks I field collected then are now in major museum collections around the world including The Musee du Quai Branly Museum in Paris, when you walk into the Oceanic Art Pavilion at The Musee du Quai Branly the first thing you see is the monumental ancestor poles from the Asmat & Mimika along with Dance Costumes Shields and large Soul Canoe, all of these were field collected by me. Originally they were in an exhibition ” Asmat et Mimika at The National Museum of African and Oceanic Art in 1996 (now that museum is part of The Musee du Quai Branly).  The exhibition the Asmat and Mimika in 1996 was published in the prestigious Louvre Museum Magazine see the link below and a photo of the exhibition above.

See my new Exhibitions Galery

https://www.oceanicartsaustralia.com/exhibition-and-publications/

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Art

Exhibited: The Shields of Oceania 2000 Sydney College of the Arts at Sydney University at the Pacific Arts Festival for the 2000 Sydney Olympics

Published & Exhibited: Oceanic Arts Pacifica: Oceanic Art for the Todd Barlin Collection 2014 Casula Power House Arts Centre Sydney Pages 21 & 32 

INQUIRE HERE

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.

A Fine Old New Guinea Gable Mask off a Ceremonial House Middle Sepik Area Papua New Guinea

A Fine Old New Guinea Gable Mask off a Ceremonial House Middle Sepik Area Papua New Guinea

This beautiful old Gable Mask is made from sago spathe over a bamboo frame & then painted & decorated with woven & wood attachments.

In the early 20th Century across the Sepik River area spectacular ceremonial houses were found in almost every village. They are known as ‘Haus tambaran’ in New Guinea pidgin English. These amazing ceremonial houses embody the paramount female ancestor whose enormous face appears on the gable and whose name is given to the house.

Clans descending from a common ancestor build Ceremonial Houses where ceremonial artworks are stored, only men who are initiated are permitted inside the house Tambaran.  During ritual ceremonies, the house becomes ‘hot’, indicating the presence of spirits.

Gable masks were placed high above the entrance of the ceremonial houses. Intended to be seen from a distance, their placement at the exterior apex of the large and imposing ceremonial house would loom downwards over the nearby dance ground where everyone could feel its presence.

The photo of a middle Sepik River ceremonial house where you can see a similar Gable Mask near the top of the peaked structure is from the superb book & exhibition “Myth and Magic: Art of the Sepik River”  by Crispin Howarth at The National Gallery of Australia in 2015

Provenance: Collected by Peter Austin in 1965-1966. Part of his collection was purchased by the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada  in 1969 & published in the book ” New Guinea: Big Man Island ” by ES Rogers 1970.   He kept the best artworks for his collection until I bought them. 

The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic 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 neighbours.

INQUIRE HERE

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 

 

Oceanic Arts Pacifica – Artworks from the Todd Barlin Collection

This superb exhibition was held in conjunction with the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre in Sydney Australia in 2014. The artworks from the Todd Barlin Collection were mostly from Papua New Guinea & West Papua and the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu & some from Polynesia & New Zealand Maori.

The monumental gallery spaces at the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre were amazing to use for this exhibition and the Casula Gallery people made the space even better by the use of large coloured walls as seen in the photos.

The Pacific Islands community in Western Sydney wanted an exhibition for their community, during the opening weekend about 3000 people attended and there were 30 different Pacific Islands cultural groups that sang & danced their traditional songs and dances. It made the artworks come alive as almost all ceremonies in Oceania where artworks are created were accompanied by songs and dances.

ENQUIRE HERE

 

(Oceanic Arts Pacifica Exhibition in Casula Powerhouse Art Centre #1)

 

(Oceanic Arts Pacifica Exhibition in Casula Powerhouse Art Centre #2)

 

(Oceanic Arts Pacifica Exhibition in Casula Powerhouse Art Centre #3)

Antique Japanese Natural Form Wood Okinomo (an object of beauty to display) Japan

Antique Japanese Natural Form Wood Okinomo is an object of beauty to display often used for Tea Ceremonies

The Japanese aesthetic of using natural forms in wood with minimal additions by the artist are some of the most beautiful objects in my collection.   The one on the far left is a lidded box for tobacco that is signed & dated.

The middle object is a root-wood Okinomo from the late 19th Century the artist has added only a tiny bit of carving to make the snake head. The snake revered in Japanese culture was associated with medicinal rites and remedies. As a symbol of good luck, it was also thought to bring good health and embodies regeneration, healing, and medicine.

The far-right Burl-wood Okinimo is in the form of a gourd, in Japan, the gourd is often associated with divinity and is often found in many regional folk tales stemming from Taoist beliefs. Its curvaceous shape is commonly met with affection as a symbol of good luck, good health, and prosperity.

These three objects placed together in any order bring a sense of wonder & joy.

In Zen philosophy there are seven aesthetic principles for achieving Wabi-Sabi as listed below;

Fukinsei (不均斉): asymmetry, irregularity;

Kanso (簡素): simplicity;

Koko (考古): basic, weathered;

Shizen (自然): without pretense, natural;

Yugen (幽玄): subtly profound grace, not obvious;

Datsuzoku (脱俗): unbounded by convention, free;

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art & Asian Art 

Three Fine Old New Guinea Headrests from the Tufi Area Oro Province Papua New Guinea

Three Fine Old Headrests from the Tufi Area Oro Province, Papua New Guinea

These three finely carved headrests or neckrests are from the Tufi area and are called Gira Kukai in the local dialect and are iconic objects from this area. They were used by both Men & Women when sleeping so as not to disturb their finely coiffured hairstyles.

The openwork geometric designs remind me of small architectural models. They are quite unique in being different heights & widths and two of these have incised geometrical designs on the base.

One has to wonder if the person who was going to use the headrest requested a specific height or width for their maximum comfort just as when we shop for just the right pillow height.

All three of these Headrests are well-used and date from the late 19th to early 20th Century.   Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic & Papua 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 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.

ENQUIRE HERE

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 enquires, please contact us.

Fine Old New Guinea Amulet Figures Middle Sepik River East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea

Fine Old New Guinea Amulet Figures Middle Sepik River East Sepik Province Papua New Guinea

This amazing collection of 17 small amulet figures is in the form of anthropomorphic ancestors and powerful ancestral beings called waken. 

All of these finely carved and painted little figures appear to be made by one master carver.

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, to protect the owner and his family from malevolent sorcerers & the spirit world.

It is unknown where Mr Friede acquired these but it’s quite  possible they were collected by Douglas Newton in New Guinea in the 1960s as Friede bought most of Douglas Newton Collection which focused mainly on beautiful small objects

Provenance: Ex John Friede Collection New York, Most of this important collection is in the De Young Fine Art Museum in San Francisco California.

The Todd Barlin Collection of Papua New Guinea Art & Artifacts.

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.

ENQUIRE HERE

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 enquires, please contact us.

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