A SUPERB IATMUL, PARAMBEI SUBGROUP, JANIFORM SPIRIT FIGURE HOUSE POST, Wundjumbu, MIDDLE SEPIK RIVER, PARAMBEI (PALIMBEI) VILLAGE, PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Photographed in situ by Gregory Bateson in Parambei (Palimbei) village before 1936
Collected in situ in Parambei (Palimbei) village in the 1960s
Walter Randell Collection, New York
John A. Friede, Rye, acquired from the above in the 1970s

Gregory Bateson, 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, Stanford, 1936, pl. VIII
John A. Friede et al., New Guinea Art. Masterpieces from the JOLIKA Collection of Marcia and John Friede, Florence, 2005, Vol. 1, p. 191, cat. 160; Vol. 2, p. 108, cat. 160

Fragile condition overall; erosion and insect damage, age cracks and losses as seen on photographs and as is typical for an object of this type; one area in the lower front part of the figure severely undermined by insects channels with the surface partially detached; custom made slide crate comes with object but needs specialized transport company; weathered patina with traces of pigment and lycon.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Gregory Bateson was a British, Cambridge-educated, social anthropologist, social scientist, linguist, visual anthropologist, semiotician and cyberneticist. From 1936 to 1947 he was married to the American cultural anthropologist, Margaret Mead. In the 1930s he and Mead both spent time in New Guinea, and their research and ultimate publications had a tremendous impact on the field of anthropology in America.

Friede (2005: 108, text to cat. 160) notes: "This figure was the top portion of one of the side posts of an old ceremonial house, ngagio, in Parambei. The curved receptacle on the top carried one of the longitudinal support elements of the peaked roof. A non-ancestral forest spirit is depicted. Bateson states there are many stories of women having affairs with wundjumbu spirits."