A IATMUL GABLE MASK

Provenance: Philip Goldman, London

The large community men's house was the central focus of ritual and everyday life for most males of the Sepik River. Men slept there lounged there, solved life's and the village's problems there, made objects both practical and sacred, and practiced there the often complex cyclical rituals that kept the world and their lives in order.

Raised a number of feet above ground to avoid seasonal flooding, the elevation of these large structures  also aided in their becoming an overpowering physical manifestation of male potency and prestige. From the central apex of the front façade, the great gable mask - conceived as an apotropaic protector - looked down menacingly on all who came within a certain distance of the men's house.
Middle Sepik River, PNG
Vegetable Fiber and natural Pigments

Price:  €  2.500,-