Kerewa River Spirit Board, gope or kaiaimunu, Papua New Guinea

Collected in situ by Thomas Schultze-Westrum, Ubuo village, 1966
Marcia and John Friede, New York, acquired from the above

Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, de Young Museum, San Francisco, October 15, 2005 - February 14, 2010

John A. Friede et al. (ed.), New Guinea Art. Masterpieces from the Jolika Collection of Marcia and John Friede, San Francisco, 2005, pp. 501 (vol. 1) and 165 (vol. 2), cat. 477

Excellent condition overall for an object from this area and time period; carved with non-metal tools, vertical age cracks, nicks and scratches, wear and tear, areas of abrasion; exceptionally fine patina with red pigment and lime.
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.

This magnificent Kerewa spirit board, one of the celebrated
masterpieces from the Friede Collection, was collected in 1966 by the German scientist Thomas Schultze-Westrum in Ubuo village in the Kikori River Delta of the Papuan Gulf region. The board's outline frames a large standing spirit figure of red color with white features. Visible within this figure's body are the white silhouettes of three smaller spirit figures: one dancing figure in profile on each side and a frontal figure with bent legs in the center which seems to be jumping over a starfish. Its head and arms form the mouth and eyes of the underlying larger red spirit figure. The painful expression of the red figure stands in contract with the joyful attitude of the white figures. This multi-layered rendering of joy and pain as integral parts of human existence makes the Friede Board one of the great icons of art from the Papuan Gulf Region.

The archaic quality of the composition is also mirrored in the carving technique with stone and other non-metal tools. Friede (2005, vol. 2: 165, cat. 477) cites Schultze-Westrum as follows: the "villagers stated that the design on this gope was carved with a crocodile tooth. The gope itself was carved by means of stone adzes and wooden bats with sharp edges. Other tools used to carve such relief patterns are shark teeth, mussel shells, stone slivers, cassowary bones, and boars' tusks."