Shield Asmat Asian Sago Plate Serving Platter Irian Jaya Papua New Guinea Ethnix
SHIELD ASMAT SAGO PLATE TRADITIONAL. Type of Object: SHIELD LIKE SERVING PLATTER.
Country of Origin: INDONESIA, IRIAN JAYA (Papua New Guinea). Materials: WOOD, HAND GROUND SHEEL, CHARCOAL, NATURAL PIGMENTS. Dimensions: 32L x 14.5W.
Additional Information: I describe this artifact both as a shield and a serving platter for it mimics a shield in its appearance. In reality it is a serving plate for a native food called sago, which is the pith from the sago palm tree. The Asmat were made infamous as headhunters and tribal warriors in the 1960s when the son of Nelson Rockefeller, Michael, disappeared on the Casurina coast of Papua New Guinea in the sixties. The carved motif on the shield represents the flying fox (bat) of New Guinea and is painted with all natural pigments acquired in and around the mangrove forest.
Most the Asmat items in my personal collection were acquired during my fieldwork in 1992. These are objects acquired from more than 30 years of collecting both in the field and in New York.
It has culminated in the creation of Ethnix Tribal Arts gallery on Broadway, New York City. Since our business is homebased in New York, many African traders stop in my store first before moving on to other cities in the United States. As a result we have the opportunity to choose "the cream of the crop" from their cargo. Each item has been selected for its individual merit such as the quality of workmanship, construction, age and authenticity. The item "SHIELD ASMAT ASIAN SAGO PLATE SERVING PLATTER IRIAN JAYA PAPUA NEW GUINEA ETHNIX" is in sale since Friday, September 12, 2008.This item is in the category "Collectibles\Cultures & Ethnicities\Asian\1900-Now\Other Asian Collectibles". The seller is "ethnixtribalarts" and is located in New York, New York. This item can be shipped worldwide.
- Provenance: Ownership History Not Available
- Country/Region of Manufacture: Indonesia