Female anthropomorphic sculpture, West Papua (New Guinea). - Lot 328

Female anthropomorphic sculpture, West Papua (New Guinea). Full-scale female anthropomorphic statue of a pregnant woman, with realistic features and slightly bent legs. Despite this realism, the Asmat stylistic canon is recognizable, particularly with the marks on the cheeks (scarification marks or tattoos). While neither the scaled representation of men (see for example, Wereldmuseum (Leiden, Netherlands), RV-3790-61) nor the maternity figures are surprising, as they are both a common theme in Asmat statuary, it is extremely rare to find a representation of a pregnant woman. There is no known comparable statue: this statue is a true unicum of Asmat art! Ritual use is attested by the traces of soot on the pregnant belly, clearly a magical call to fertility. This statue can be called a "kawe", i.e. a representation of an ancestor. Natural base: monoxyle piece. Asmat, West Papua (New Guinea). Dimensions: 158 cm high, 25 cm diameter. Estimated dating: Mid- to second-half 20th century Provenance : - Private collection, Port-Moresby (Papua New Guinea) - Acquired by Gregory Ronseaux from the previous owner Selective bibliography (on Asmat art) : - A.J.P. MEYER, Oceanian Art, Könemann, Cologne, 1995; pp. 80-87 - Musée Territorial de Nouvelle-Calédonie, L'art Asmat, Musée Territoire de Nouvelle-Calédonie, 1999 - MUDEC (Milano, Italy), Eravamo cacciatori di teste. Riti, vita e arte delle popolazioni Asmat, 2018, MUDEC - Philippe PELTIER (dir), Shadows of New Guinea. Arts de la grande île d'Océanie dans les collections Barbier-Mueller, Somogy, Paris, 2006 ; pp. 260-277 - Michael C. ROCKFELLER, 1967, The Asmat. Michael C. Rockfeller expeditions, Museum of Primitive Art.