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Premium MILLON
250
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Anthropomorphic rank figure Tree fern with a patina of age.
See original version (French)
250
-
Anthropomorphic rank figure Tree fern with a patina of age.
See original version (French)
Estimate €700 - €900
Voluntary lot
Description
Anthropomorphic rank figure
Tree fern with a patina of age.
Ambrym Island, Vanuatu, Melanesia.
Height: 184 cm
The island of Ambrym, in the heart of the Vanuatu archipelago, is one of the most active centres of Melanesian sculpture. As part of the Nimangki rank system, which structures the male social hierarchy, figures carved from tree fern were erected in front of the huts of the men of rank, publicly signifying their owner's status within the community. Each rise in rank was accompanied by ceremonies of redistribution - feasting, exchange of goods - at the end of which these figures materialised the social position acquired.
What's striking about these sculptures is the power of their formal language: pure volumes, treated in angular planes that are articulated with supple curves, a long silhouette reaching upwards. The eyes concentrate all the intensity of the work - the large, protruding circular eyes, set in a concave face, evoke a form of prescience, vigilance or protection turned towards the community. The tree fern, worked with a remarkable economy of means, reveals here all its capacity to carry a presence that is both austere and sovereign.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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