Figure temes nevinbur, Malekula Island, Vanuatu Archipelago - Lot 131

Figure temes nevinbur, Malekula Island, Vanuatu Archipelago Tree fern, tapas, wild pig teeth, pigments, H. face alone: 13 cm - H. total: 21 cm Provenance: Etude Loudmer, sale February 11, 1995, reproduced under lot 54 ? Exhibition: Oceanian Art, Musée d'Ethnographie de Neuchâtel, June 27 - December 31, 1970, shown under number 1731 Face with thick, voluminous nose and eyebrow arch. Two wild pig's teeth protrude from the mouth on either side of the corners. Vigorous polychrome highlights. Tapas beards. Made from plant and composite materials, the whole has retained its integrity despite its intrinsic fragility. In the Neuchâtel catalog, the object is described as follows: "Mask symbolizing rank incorporated into the dancer's ceremonial headdress; painted tree fern". (p. 94) Bibliography: Vanuatu Oceania - Arts Des Îles de cendre et de corail, Réunion des Musées Nationaux-ORSTOM, 1996, fig. 72, p. 49