SPIRIT MASK FROM THE MIDDLE SEPIK REGION OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA Carved wood with cowrie shell eyes. Painted with grey native pigment mixed with wood ash. Signs of age, with some historical damage - vertical crack with native filler. Bought in a village in the middle Sepik region In 1986.
Not for wearing, the mask would hang in the'haus tambaran' or men's spirit house. The top of the mask features the head of an ancestor, the large protruding eyes are in set with cowrie shells. The extended nose septum forms the head of a mythical bird.
Height - 57 cms weight - 2.25kg Width - 25 cms Depth - 10 cm.