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FRISE MALANGAN, NOUVELLE-IRLANDE, ARCHIPEL BISMARCK |
Estimate
80,000 - 120,000 EUR
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Description
- wood
- long. 96,5 cm ; 38 in
Frise Malangan, Nouvelle-Irlande, Archipel Bismarck
Provenance
Übersee Museum, Brême, (inv. n° 20191), acquis par la Deutsche Marine-Expedition entre 1907 et 1909
Collection Arthur Speyer II (1894-1958), Berlin
Collection Neslon A. Rockefeller (1908-1979), New York (inv. n° 5683)
Parke Bernett, New York, 4 mai 1967, Collection Nelson A. Rockefeller and Museum of Primitive Art, n° 108
Collection Georges Plouvier, Bruxelles / Paris
Loudmer, Poulain, Cornette de Saint-Cyr, Palais Galliera, Paris, Cabinet d'un amateur, 6 - 7 décembre 1974, n° 85
Collection Jacques et Monique Rosenthal, Suisse
Sotheby's Paris, Arts d'Océanie – Collection Rosenthal, 24 mars 2010, n° 3
Collection privée, France, acquis lors de cette vente
Collection Arthur Speyer II (1894-1958), Berlin
Collection Neslon A. Rockefeller (1908-1979), New York (inv. n° 5683)
Parke Bernett, New York, 4 mai 1967, Collection Nelson A. Rockefeller and Museum of Primitive Art, n° 108
Collection Georges Plouvier, Bruxelles / Paris
Loudmer, Poulain, Cornette de Saint-Cyr, Palais Galliera, Paris, Cabinet d'un amateur, 6 - 7 décembre 1974, n° 85
Collection Jacques et Monique Rosenthal, Suisse
Sotheby's Paris, Arts d'Océanie – Collection Rosenthal, 24 mars 2010, n° 3
Collection privée, France, acquis lors de cette vente
Exhibited
New York, The Museum of Primitive Art, Selected Works from the Collection, 29 mai - 20 octobre 1957
New York, The Museum of Primitive Art, Selected Works, 18 février - 6 septembre 1959
New York, The Museum of Primitive Art, Selected Works, 18 février - 6 septembre 1959
Literature
Krämer, Die Malaggane von Tombàra, 1925, n.p., n° 42
Selected Works from the Collection, 1957, n°30 (non illustré)
Selected Works, 1959, n° 36 (non illustré)
Schindlbeck, Gefunden and Verloren, Berlin, Staatliche Museum zu Berlin, 2012, p. 192, n°127
Selected Works from the Collection, 1957, n°30 (non illustré)
Selected Works, 1959, n° 36 (non illustré)
Schindlbeck, Gefunden and Verloren, Berlin, Staatliche Museum zu Berlin, 2012, p. 192, n°127
Condition
Very good condition overall for a piece of this great age. As visible in the publications, the frieze is in the same condition as in 1925 : with the proper right end missing. Another picture from the Speyer archives (before 1925) published by Schindlbeck (2012) shows that the proper left end of the frieze and the front of the proper right end are broken (missing), and therefore have been restored before the 1925 publication. Both heads are removable. The arms of the proper right figure are broken but stabilized by the construction of the work. At the back are several old inventory numbers and labels (Übersee Museum, Brême inv. n° 20191 / Nelson A. Rockfeller inv. n° 56,83 / Possibly Speyer inv. n° 3). Fixed to a modern base. The polychrome is exceptionally well preserved as are the shells eyes. Wear consistent with age and use within the culture.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Reproduite dès 1925 dans l’ouvrage historique d’Augustin Krämer Die Malaggane von Tombara, cette rare frise malangan raconte avec éloquence l’arrivée des premières œuvres de l’archipel Bismarck dans les collections européennes, et l’attraction qu’elles exercèrent, dès leur découverte, sur les Occidentaux : « A la fin du XIXème siècle, on estime qu’environ 100 000 personnes vivaient sur l’île de Nouvelle-Irlande et ses archipels. [..] Des petits groupes d’hommes y avaient développé des traditions artistiques remarquables avec une exubérance et une créativité extraordinaires. […] Ces objets ethnographiques et œuvres d’art exerçaient une véritable fascination sur les directeurs de musées qui cherchaient à s’en procurer grâce aux résidents coloniaux, aux voyageurs ou aux expéditions scientifiques » (Beaulieu in Hourdé, Realm of the Ancestors, 2018, p. 93). C’est lors de la Deutsche Marine-Expedition, organisée par l’Ethnologisches Museum de Berlin qui sillonna la région entre 1907 et 1909, que cette œuvre fut acquise. Elle rejoignit les collections de l’Übersee Museum de Brême sous le numéro d’inventaire 20194, avant d’être acquise par le marchand allemand Arthur Speyer II et de rejoindre la célèbre collection du Gouverneur Nelson A. Rockefeller. Parmi les frises kobokobor des collections muséales et privées, celle-ci se distingue par la singularité de son iconographie. En effet si « les décors des extrémités du koborkobor représentent généralement la tête, munie de défenses, d’un poisson à Grande Bouche […] de temps à autre, les extrémités figurent une tête de cochon. […] La tête de cochon est le morceau le plus important, donné aux principaux participants lors d’une cérémonie malagan. Par conséquent, selon ce raisonnement, une sculpture malangan dont une extrémité figure une tête de cochon est un objet essentiel » (Gunn et Peltier, Nouvelle-Irlande. Arts du Pacifique Sud, 2007, p. 204). Emblème le plus significatif au sein de la propriété rituelle d’un sous-clan, cette frise, sculptée de façon imbriquée en trois dimensions, puis peinte, s’affirme par la puissance visuelle des deux hommes. L’un à dominante rouge, l’autre noire, ils arborent les décorations corporelles, les coiffures et les ornements caractéristiques de la région. L’impact de la polychromie contrastée renforce puissamment le hiératisme des deux figures assises, tenant fermement la hampe qui les relie aux têtes animales. À son histoire occidentale et sa rare iconographie répond l’importance symbolique de cette frise, qui en font un archétype de l’art envoûtant de Nouvelle-Irlande : remise au fils de la sœur du chef lors des cérémonies malangan, elle faisait de lui l’unique chef rituel de la communauté.
Reproduced in 1925 in Augustin Krämer's historic work Die Malaggane von Tombara, this rare malangan frieze eloquently tells the story of the arrival of the first works of art from the Bismarck archipelago in European collections, and the attraction they exerted on Westerners as soon as they emerged: "At the end of the 19th century, about 100,000 people lived in New Ireland and its surrounding archipelagos. [..] Small groups of men had developed remarkable artistic traditions with extraordinary exuberance and creativity. [...] Museum directors were absolutely fascinated by these ethnographic objects and were seeking to acquire some through colonial residents, travelers or scientific expeditions.” (Beaulieu in Hourdé, Realm of the Ancestors, 2018, p. 93). It was during the Deutsche Marine-Expedition, organized by the Ethnologisches Museum in Berlin and traveling through the region between 1907 and 1909, that this work was acquired. It then entered the collections of the Übersee Museum in Bremen under inventory number 20194, before being acquired by German art dealer Arthur Speyer and joining the famous collection of Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller.
Among the Kobokobor friezes listed in museum and private collections, this one stands out for the singularity of its iconography. "The decor on the extremities of the Koborkobor generally represent the head of a fish with a large mouth and tusks [...] from time to time, the extremities figure a pig's head. [...] The pig's head is the most valued cut, given to the most prominent participants during a malangan ceremony Therefore, according to this reasoning, a malangan sculpture with its extremity sculpted into a pig's head is an essential object." (Gunn and Peltier, Nouvelle-Irlande, Arts du Pacifique Sud, 2007, p. 204). As the most significant emblem among the ritual property of a sub-clan, this frieze, intricately carved in three dimensions, then painted, is striking in the visual power emanating from the two men. One predominantly red, the other black, they feature the body decorations, hairstyles and ornaments characteristic of the region. The impact of the contrasting polychromy strongly reinforces the hieraticism of the two seated figures, firmly holding the shaft connecting them to the animal heads. Finally, it is compounded by its symbolic and ritual importance: given to the son of the chief's sister during the malangan ceremonies, it made him the sole ritual leader of the community.
Reproduced in 1925 in Augustin Krämer's historic work Die Malaggane von Tombara, this rare malangan frieze eloquently tells the story of the arrival of the first works of art from the Bismarck archipelago in European collections, and the attraction they exerted on Westerners as soon as they emerged: "At the end of the 19th century, about 100,000 people lived in New Ireland and its surrounding archipelagos. [..] Small groups of men had developed remarkable artistic traditions with extraordinary exuberance and creativity. [...] Museum directors were absolutely fascinated by these ethnographic objects and were seeking to acquire some through colonial residents, travelers or scientific expeditions.” (Beaulieu in Hourdé, Realm of the Ancestors, 2018, p. 93). It was during the Deutsche Marine-Expedition, organized by the Ethnologisches Museum in Berlin and traveling through the region between 1907 and 1909, that this work was acquired. It then entered the collections of the Übersee Museum in Bremen under inventory number 20194, before being acquired by German art dealer Arthur Speyer and joining the famous collection of Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller.
Among the Kobokobor friezes listed in museum and private collections, this one stands out for the singularity of its iconography. "The decor on the extremities of the Koborkobor generally represent the head of a fish with a large mouth and tusks [...] from time to time, the extremities figure a pig's head. [...] The pig's head is the most valued cut, given to the most prominent participants during a malangan ceremony Therefore, according to this reasoning, a malangan sculpture with its extremity sculpted into a pig's head is an essential object." (Gunn and Peltier, Nouvelle-Irlande, Arts du Pacifique Sud, 2007, p. 204). As the most significant emblem among the ritual property of a sub-clan, this frieze, intricately carved in three dimensions, then painted, is striking in the visual power emanating from the two men. One predominantly red, the other black, they feature the body decorations, hairstyles and ornaments characteristic of the region. The impact of the contrasting polychromy strongly reinforces the hieraticism of the two seated figures, firmly holding the shaft connecting them to the animal heads. Finally, it is compounded by its symbolic and ritual importance: given to the son of the chief's sister during the malangan ceremonies, it made him the sole ritual leader of the community.