Male anthropomorphic sculpture, West Papua (New Guinea). - Lot 332

Male anthropomorphic sculpture, West Papua (New Guinea). Male anthropomorphic statue in the round, the entirely naked man, sex visible, stretches his arms forward and adopts a slightly bent posture. His exaggerated hands appear to be active: perhaps he's preparing sago? This statue could be an ancestral figure known as "kawe". The sculpture is made of dense, hard, heavy wood with a shiny patina. Cracks and chips. Natural base: monoxyle piece. Asmat, West Papua (New Guinea). Dimension: 55 cm high, 12 cm wide Estimated dating: First half of the 20th century Provenance : - Acquired by Georges Alliou - by descent Selective bibliography : - Michael C. ROCKFELLER, 1967, The Asmat. Michael C. Rockfeller expeditions, Museum of Primitive Art, pp. 269-280 Corpus for matching : - Lot 39, Hammer Auktionen, Basel - Nov. 29, 2023 - American Museum of Asmat Art (St Paul, Minnesota), no. 01119