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Art For Sale

New Guinea Obsidian Bladed Daggers Manus Admiralty Islands Papua New Guinea

New Guinea Obsidian Bladed Daggers from Manus Island Admiralty Islands Papua New Guinea

These beautiful old New Guinea Daggers with finely made finely flaked obsidian blades and the handles are made of wood covered by Parinarium Nut (putty nut).
Obsidian is a naturally occurring glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock from rapidly-frozen lava. The Bismarck Archipelago, off the northeast coast of Papua New Guinea, is a rich natural resource of obsidian; in particular, the islands of Lou and Manus in the Admiralty Islands. The Admiralty Islands are an archipelago group of 18 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago to the north of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean.

Obsidian has been used for projectile points since ancient times. This is due to its lack of crystal structure, which gives the blade edges almost molecular thinness. Even today, well-crafted obsidian blades are used in medical surgery since their cutting edge is many times sharper and finer than that of even high-quality surgical steel scalpels.

Provenance: Collected during WWII by a USA Serviceman Stationed on Manus Islands

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.

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 inquiries, please contact us.

Fine Old New Guinea Marupai Charms Papuan Gulf Area Papua New Guinea

Two Fine Old New Guinea Marupai Charms Papuan Gulf Area, Papua New Guinea 19th Century

These beautifully carved dwarf coconuts called Marupai were important magical charms or amulets that most men would have had. The incised designs highlighted with infilled lime are based on clan totems. Each clan would have its own style of Marupai unique to them. T

hey had immense spiritual power that could be used in many ways. The people from the Papuan Gulf Area on the South Coast of Papua New Guinea were some of the finest artists from the Island of New Guinea. Their great ceremonial and spiritual cycles took years to complete and many types of artworks were produced for these traditional ceremonies, the main ones that people are familiar with are Gope Boards, Gope are also known as Kwoi in the Kikori , Baimaru . Uruma, Hohao, and Orokolo areas of the Papuan Gulf.  They represent the spirits of ancestral heroes that can protect clans from evil spirits and death.

Marupai Charms were used for:

“ They were used for magic such as to protect a man & his family from being attacked through the spirit world and sorcery.

They were used to send and deliver messages to other people with Marupai through the spirit world.

They were used in warfare to confuse an enemy with their powers

They were used as hunting charms for finding wild pigs & cassowary birds.

They were used to transport a person magically from one place to another.

They were used to control the weather “

These charms were kept in small woven bags & sometimes hung around the neck of a sorcerer.

Provenance: Ex Toast and Rohu Sydney Collection, 19th Century. The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic New Guinea Art

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 inquiries, please contact us.

Four Fine Old Nepal Milk Jar Lids Western Nepal 19th Century

Four Fine Old Nepal Milk Jar Lids Western Nepal 19th Century

These old wood Jar Stoppers from Western Nepal all have carved ancestor figures on the finial. They were used to close the jars holding Ghee or Clarified Butter. The Tribal people that live in the Himalayas make Ghee is a type of clarified butter that originated in ancient India and is commonly used in cuisines, traditional medicine, and religious rituals. Ghee is prepared by simmering butter, which is churned from cream and removing the liquid residue. The texture, colour, and taste of ghee depend on the quality of the butter, source of the milk used in the process and the duration of the boiling. The whole purpose of Ghee was to clarify the butter to keep it from spoiling. In Hindu culture, the cow is sacred, and butter is the only animal fat that Hindus will eat. The cow represents the soul, with its obstinate intellect, and unruly emotions, but it is also gentle and generous. The butter gives a sacred offering, fuel for lamps, and so valuable for food.

The ghurra or churning rod-handle are a tool for churning milk into butter. Besides possessing an important functional side, ghurras give expression to the age-old Hindu creation myth, the Samudra Manthana: the churning of the milk ocean by the gods and demons, which is also a story with the endless struggle between the forces of good and evil.

By using the ghurra the churning process evokes a reality that is inherent to people. In this way, the space-time structure of the mountain people is measured in moments of everlasting holy time (darshan), a ritual action whose initial inner significance was laid down in centuries and centuries ago.

Inspired by their religious convictions and folk customs, Nepalese mountain people have transposed the original mythological churning rope used to rotate and support the churning rod during churning into sublimely beautiful wooden sculptures full of religious meaning. Ghurras also emanate sublime symbolism through their particular schematic design. They consist of geometric elements that abstractly evoke the gods of the Hindu pantheon.

Ghurras, therefore, can be interpreted as a symbolic stimulus for great devotion to God so that in every object or attitude, in every action undertaken, a deep underlying sacred reality is recognized and given expression: Brahman.

The information on this subject relies on the book Divine Support by Paul de Smedt, published by Book Faith India 2000.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic & Asian Art

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 inquiries, please contact us.

Old Timor Magic Amulet Stone Heads from West Timor Indonesia

Four Old Timor Magic Amulet Stone Heads from West Timor Indonesia

These old and beautiful carved Stone Heads are magic amulets traditionally used by the shaman to connect with ancestral spirits and ask for protection, good harvests, and healing from illnesses. Throughout Eastern Indonesia and into the Island of New Guinea ancestor worship and animism were the original spiritual beliefs, carved stone and wood objects made by specialists and imbued with the spiritual power of their clan’s ancestors were widely used for healing & protection.  During my many trips to Indonesia & New Guinea on occasion I was ill and a village shaman worked on me whether it was a placebo effect or actual spiritual effect  (I believe the latter)  I experience rapid well-being during their treatment on me.  One old man used a small carved wood figure & leaves rubbing them onto my neck and head and while he was treating me the heavy sick feeling I had dissipated.  These stone heads were also used for this kind of treatment where the ancestors are invoked. Each of these stone heads has a unique expression in the way the people do.  Together as a little group on their custom-made stands, they look amazing.

Provenance: Collected in Central Amanuban, West Timor, Indonesia

The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art 

Published: In the book “Arte sul fiume (cap.3) by the artist Filippo Biagioli”  See Above Photos

 

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 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.

 

A Fine Collection Of Old Micronesian Ancestor Figures Caroline Islands Federated States of Micronesia

A Fine Collection Of Old Micronesian Ancestor Figures Caroline Islands Federated States of Micronesia

This collection of 25 figures represents the different styles of figurative carving from the Islands that make up the Micronesian Archipelago now called the Federated States of Micronesia. Some of these figures are from the 19th Century & others from the early 20th century up to the end of WW2. I was delighted to see and learn about the great variations in the styles of these amazing figures, from cubist to realistic form and one totally abstracted form ( possibly in the process of being finished )

See this example of a 19th Century Figure at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/319233

The most interesting and comprehensive study of these figures can be found in the article ” From Sacred to Souvenir, the squatting figure as a Motif in Micronesian Art” in the Tribal Arts Magazine Autumn / Summer 2002 Issue, by Barbara Wavell. The article can be found online at:

http://www.academia.edu/933808/FROM_SACRED_TO_SOUVENIR_THE_SQUATTING_FIGURE_AS_A_MOTIF_IN_MICRONESIAN_ART

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art 

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.

Superb Old New Guinea Lime Spatulas Massim Culture Milne Bay Province Papua New Guinea

Superb Collection of Antique New Guinea Massim Lime Spatulas from the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea 19th to early 20th Century

These Lime Spatulas show the high quality of aesthetics that Massim Master Carvers could achieve working on this scale. After carving & polishing the artist would put white lime into the incised designs to highlight them.

The utensils made for chewing betel nut are some of the most beautiful smaller-scale carvings made in New Guinea. Lime Spatulas are usually carved from a dark native hardwood with elaborately carved finials depicting stylized human ancestor figures and or animals.

Lime Spatulas were used for chewing betel nuts by dipping the end of the spatula into powdered lime (crushed & burnt sea shells) & licking it off as you put a Betel Nut from the Acacia Palm to chew together, the lime diffuses the alkaloids in the Betel Nuts.

In the Massim Culture chewing Betel Nuts is an important daily ritual. Betel Chewers would have a lime gourd & spatula for dipping into the lime, and older men with poor teeth would also have a small mortar and pestle for crushing the nuts into a mush that was easier to eat.

Many of the most beautiful Massim Lime Spatulas were made by Master Carvers for use only by important Chiefly Persons. The motifs are part of the Massim belief system & spirituality.

Provenance:  The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic Art 

 

Superb Old Tongan Islands Polynesian War Clubs 19th Century

Superb Old Tongan Islands Polynesian War Clubs 19th Century

Tongan War Clubs are some of the most beautifully carved objects from Polynesia, they were objects of great prestige and held Mana or spiritual power that was passed on through generations of the Club’s owners.

These fine examples all are from the 19th Century and are carved from heavy dark wood and finely incised designs over their entire surface.  The far left club in the photo is a massive club, so much bigger than the other two.  The middle Club has a beautiful human figure glyph ( see photo detail)

Clubs in Tonga were historically to be found in a broad range of cultural contexts from warfare to sport, dance, religion, and the complex everyday use of the chiefly class. Clubs were significant artifacts in historical Tonga.

In the last photo, the largest club is shown being held by a Tongan Rugby Player in Sydney.

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

 

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.

 

Fine Old Fijian War Clubs 18th – 19th Century

Four Fine Old Fijian War Clubs from the 18th – 19th Century

Fijian War Clubs come in many different types with different shapes & decorations, Fijian War Clubs were very important objects in the lives of Fijian men who were known as fierce warriors & sometimes cannibals in pre-contact European times.  War Clubs were often family heirlooms passed through generations and were imbued with great Mana or spiritual power and also symbols of social status.

The type of tree wood used was very specialized and the club was also made to the size of the person who was to use it.

The Club was the Fijian warrior’s favourite weapon, he had his spears, from ten to fifteen feet long, efficient bows and arrows, and slings for throwing stones; but although these had each their special use none approached the club in popularity and daily use. Whether his tribe was at war or at peace, a man was seldom without it, until the end of the 19th Century no Fijian man left the precincts of his house unarmed. Whenever he left his village, even to work in his garden, he carried his club on his shoulder; and should he meet a man in the path, the club remained in that position, at alert, until on friendly recognition both men lowered their weapon in greeting.

Even in times of peace, when a man had occasion to visit a friendly village, he would not go unarmed lest the people should say, “He despises us; he comes without weapons.” He, therefore, carried a dress or token club, of size and style and enriched as befitted his social rank.

The range of types and styles of the club was exceptionally wide. High degrees of skill and patient care was given to the fashioning of clubs fit for the use of chiefs; and although certain types appear to have been more in favour than others, there was ample room for personal choice in pattern and enrichment.

The spurred club is commonly known as the “gun-stock,” from a fancied resemblance of the spurred head to the stock of a gun, the name is, however, apt to be misleading, for there is no evidence that these clubs were, in fact, imitations of the musket or derived from it. On the contrary, their wide distribution and their high stage of development, even amongst the hill people of the interior, suggest that this was a traditional form, in use long before the introduction of firearms at the beginning of the last centuries.

These are some finest early Fijian Clubs I collected over the past 40 years; some are from important historical collections from the 19th Century. As most of these clubs were collected in the 19th Century, it seems reasonable that some are dated from the late 18th Century.

They all have a deep old reddish-brown patina from handling and long use over generations

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

 

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.

A Superb Set of a Bronze Buddha and four Monks Burma Myanmar 19th Century

See more Fine Buddhist Art in Buddhist Art Gallery

A Superb Set of  Bronze Sculptures of the Buddha and Four Monks Burma Myanmar 19th Century

This finely cast bronze Buddha and four Monks are from Burma also known as Myanmar. Dating from the 19th Century and made with the lost wax process of casting bronze which goes back to ancient times, and painted with traces of gold and other pigments.

The tallest figure is of the Buddha together with four monks walking on their begging round. Traditionally, Buddhist monks are required to live only on what they are given, which serves to reflect how well they are regarded in society. The begging bowl is held silently by both the Buddha and his attendant monks, for no words are to be spoken while on the begging round, nor thanks given for donations, as the merit of giving is considered to be sufficient. They wait momentarily outside a layperson’s home for a few moments; if nothing is forthcoming, they will move on silently. The Buddha’s right hand is held in the Abhaya gesture, which is one of blessing and reassurance.
The monastic begging round is still a common practice in South East Asia, but in other parts where the climate is too hostile, such as Tibet, Mongolia, and northern China, it was never a part of the Buddhist tradition. Instead, offerings were made directly to the monastery.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Buddhist & Asian Art

Exhibited and Published in “The art of compassion” 2018 P12.