Bird Mask, Pora Pora River, Lower Sepik River

Chris Boylan Oceanic Art

Bird Dance Mask, Pora Pora River, Lower Sepik River, PNG

58 x 12 x 12 cm

Ex-Pierre Langois collection, Paris. Collected on an expedition to PNG in the 1970s.

This Bird Mask, representing a clan bird totem, is one of the more elegant masks to come from this little-known region. Its form is long and sinuous and shows evidence of being used over many years. The end of the pointed beak is slightly damaged, a sign of its frequency of use, but this does not detract in the least from its overall aesthetic quality.

Totem masks of this kind were worn during ceremonial dances. The male dancer wears this over his face, with his body totally covered by fibre skirts. The exact nature of the ceremony for which this mask was danced is unknown, yet it clearly displays a ceremonial vitality.

$4,000.00

Artwork details