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A SHELL-INLAID IATMUL ORATOR’S STOOL (KAWA TIKIT), MIDDLE SEPIK RIVER
奥地利
06月27日 下午5点 开拍
拍品描述

Description

A SHELL-INLAID IATMUL ORATOR’S STOOL (KAWA TIKIT), MIDDLE SEPIK RIVER

Papua New Guinea, early to mid-20th century. The wooden stool boldly carved and skillfully painted with natural earth pigments. The enormous oval head with a small lizard perched upon the forehead, large, round eyes inlaid with conus shell, hooked nose pierced with carved rings, and mouth bearing a gentle smile, revealing both the teeth and a viper-like tongue. The figure’s robust, squat torso backed by the plainly carved stool and surrounded by two smaller figures and a central support, all set atop a dome-shaped wood base.

Provenance: From the Prigogine family collection, Brussels. Yves Prigogine, son of the renowned Belgian scientist Ilya Prigogine —recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1997— devoted more than three decades, alongside his wife Jacqueline, to assembling a significant collection of Oceanic tribal art. Inspired by his father’s passion for collecting, who held an extensive collection of Pre-Columbian art, Yves and Jacqueline, both sociologists, developed a profound interest in the cultural heritage of Oceania. Beginning in 1992, they undertook over a dozen journeys to Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and Melville Island in Northern Australia, seeking to engage with local communities, explore traditional customs, and acquire representative works of indigenous art. The result of these travels was a collection that over time came to be regarded as one of the most distinguished of its kind in Europe.
Condition: Very good condition with expected wear, traces of use, and natural imperfections, including age cracks and fissures. Few small losses, rubbing to pigments, and scattered light scratches. Possibly with minor touchups.

Weight: 11.8 kg
Dimensions: Height 99 cm

In Iatmul societies, disputes and controversies over agricultural possessions or ancestral lineage were traditionally resolved through oratory gatherings in the Men’s House. At the center of this space stood a post representing the clan ancestor, supporting the structure. Beside it was the lectern, symbolizing the younger brother of the ancestor. When a man wished to speak, he would approach the lectern and begin his discourse. In the local vernacular, these speaker’s lecterns were called Kawa Tikit, meaning ‘seat of leaves’, a reference to the orator’s expressive gesture of energetically scattering leaves onto the lectern’s surface to emphasize his words.

These verbal jousts were an opportunity for men to showcase their extensive knowledge. Anthropologist Gregory Bateson observed that in a single evening, orators could recall and recite between ten and twenty thousand polysyllabic names, and their erudition in totemic systems was a source of immense pride for the entire village (Naven: A Survey of the Problems Suggested by a Composite Picture of the Culture of a New Guinea Tribe Drawn from Three Points of View, 1936, p. 137). Similarly, Milan Stanek documented these intellectual performances, noting an instance where an orator named Agrembe recited 600 names from his Wenguansap clan, along with over 150 names from the Yatmel clan. His performance was particularly remarkable as he spoke alone, surpassing the efforts of other orators (Stanek, Das System der Eigennamen und die Erscheinungsformen der Ahnen, 1983, p. 175, cited in Sepik: Arts of Papua New Guinea, 2016).

Carved from dense hardwoods to ensure durability, these lecterns were among the most valued possessions of the community. They were also prominently displayed during significant ceremonies, such as the launch of a war canoe or consultations before a headhunting expedition.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related Iatmul orator’s stool, dated mid-20th century, 122 cm high, in the National Gallery of Australia, accession number 2008.173. Compare a related Iatmul orator’s stool, dated 20th century, in the Denver Art Museum, accession number 1983.175.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s Paris, 16 December 2022, lot 13
Estimate: EUR 18,000 or approx. EUR 19,000 (adjusted for inflation at the time of writing)
Description: Iatmul Speaker Stool, Sepik River, Papua New Guinea
Expert remark: Compare the related form and manner of carving. Note the size (73 cm).

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价格信息

拍品估价:500 - 1,000 欧元 起拍价格:500 欧元  买家佣金: 35.00%

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