Papua New Guinea

Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250

Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250
Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250
Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250
Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250
Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250
Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250
Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250
Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250
Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250
Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250
Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250
Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250
Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250
Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250
Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250
Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250
Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250
Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250
Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250
Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250
Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250
Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250

Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250
A old unique & quite rare hand carved wooden Papua New Guinea ancestral native figure made between 1890 to 1910. This Ornate Statue was intricately carved to replicate the tribes leader or chief carefully imitating the coming of age ritual body markings that made him a man at the age of 13. The unique reptile carving on this chief statue has a very unique lizard under a grass crown that makes this a religious life like copy of their chief made to keep away bad spirits. This carving was stained with natural red clay & left to dry over several days. The grass twine that's used to accessorise several rare shell species was hand made with dried coconut, grass or palm leaf which was made by rolling hand pressures, then placed between shaved tree sticks to continue the thinning process. Then dried naturally over weeks. The eyes of the clan leader & the lizard are made of cowrie shell, they are also accessorised on his neck that were only worn by the tribes clan chief. The larger shells are rare sea snails that were dived for by the islanders who lived along the muddy inlets & rivers of Papua New Guinea. The loin net worn at the front of the figure is made also from twine that was hand coloured using natural earth dyes.

I have been intrigued by many authentic Papua New Guinea antiques over the years & I have to say that this fellow is in my top 3 hand carved collectables to date. He has aged well but his wood has some drying issues that can't be stopped as this is a natural process that takes many decades to develop that eventually show surface crazing & minuscule cracks that don't affect its stability or appearance. These are used to age ones collectable which comes in handy.

Best to keep him in a dry tepid spot. When the PNG natives started using "A Red Clay Soil Mix" over many centuries ago to make their pottery pieces they found that using this mixture on their statues for ascetic reasons also gave them longevity slowing the wooden carvings from deteriorating.


Antique 85cm High Papua New Guinea Carved Tribal Chief Statue Was $598 Now $250