Lower Sepik River Mask, Papua New Guinea

Collected in situ by Captain Haug in 1909
Arthur J. Speyer, Berlin, acquired from the above
Ingo Donath, Hamburg
Sotheby's, New York, November 24, 1992, lot 12
Myron Kunin, Minneapolis, acquired at the above auction

Carved with stone tools, very good condition for an object of this type and age. Weathered with old stable hairline age cracks throughout. Holes and surface are worn from handling and use. Marks, nicks, scratches, abrasions, small chips, and cracks consistent with age and use. Old chips around back edge of mask, with a loss to the proper right lower back edge. Holes and erosion to top of mask. Knots in the wood. Exceptionally fine aged glossy red surface. Encrustation around inlaid shell eyes.
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.

Between July 30 and August 6, 1909, the steamer “Siar” belonging to the “Neuguinea-Kompanie,” a German chartered company, traveled 347 kilometers (187 nautical miles) up the Sepik River. The ship’s commander, Kapitän Haug, accommodated several scientists on board, including the botanist Rudolph Schlechter and the natural scientist and anthropologist Otto Schlaginhaufen, then of the Anthropologisch-Ethnographisches Museum in Dresden and later a Professor at Zurich University. Many objects were collected during this voyage, as Schlaginhaufen verbally reports (Sitzungsberichte der Anthropologischen Gesellschaft in Wien. Redigiert von Leo Buchtal. Jahrgang 1919-1920. Wien, 1920, pp. 56-57, https://archive.org/stream/mitteilungen5052anthuoft#page/n160/mode/1up, last accessed on October 10, 2014; translated from German by Heinrich Schweizer): “On board the steamer ‘Siar’ of the Neuguinea-Kompanie, which embarked on a tour to recruit working men, the voyage of the reporter [= Schlaginhaufen] went from Friedrich-Wilhelmshafen via Potsdam-hafen and the Hansabucht to the mouth of the [Sepik] River, which we entered on Juli 30. Just a short distance from the coast we saw the native inhabitants.  Their magnificent culture revealed itself in its full natural state, still entirely untouched by European man. Standing inside their long, narrow canoes, which do not have outriggers in this area, the natives rowed towards the steamer and showed their willingness to engage in trade. The reporter [= Schlaginhaufen] acquired numerous examples of face masks which were still carved with stone and shell tools. In the lowest section of the river [the predominant mask form were] long, oval concave masks of red color…”