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Hôtel des Ventes de Troyes
27
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Miniature mask - Sepik River - Papua New Guinea
Materials : …
See original version (French)
27
-
Miniature mask - Sepik River - Papua New Guinea
Materials : …
See original version (French)
Estimate €200 - €300
Voluntary lot
Description
Miniature mask - Sepik River - Papua New Guinea
Materials : Wood
Base included (gallery condition).
Provenance: Provenance: Former Guy Seghers collection (Belgium). Collected in Papua New Guinea between 1970 and 1980 during scientific missions linked to the Leopold III Biological Station on Laing Island. Archives and period photographs preserved.
Dimensions: H. 22 cm (30 cm with stand)
This miniature mask comes from the Sepik River region, a vast cultural territory in northern Papua New Guinea renowned for the richness and diversity of its sculptural traditions. Despite its small size, it displays the aesthetic characteristics emblematic of Sepik art: a highly stylised face, a long, prominent beak-shaped nose, bulging eyes and a headdress decorated with incised geometric motifs. The headdress's serrated edges and engraved motifs reinforce its expressive and symbolic character.
In Sepik societies, masks and anthropomorphic figures play an essential role in ceremonies, ancestral cults and initiation rites. Miniature versions could be used as votive objects, ritual ornaments, elements of adornment or condensed representations of spirits and ancestors.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale
ARTS OF AFRICA & OCEANIA: Three exceptional family collections
Auction location
Auction time
06/22/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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