작품 상세

A PAPUAN FOOD BOWL WITH STYLIZED BIRDS, MASSIM PEOPLE, 19TH CENTURY Carved from a dense, richly figured hardwood, this impressive Massim food bowl is formed with a broad, open mouth and a deep, gently curving body, its walls rising to a thickened rim that frames the dark, lustrous interior. The vessel’s silhouette is both commanding and elegant, the rounded profile emphasised by the dramatic sweep of the grain, which flows across the surface in smoky ribbons of chocolate, umber, and near-black. The bowl possesses a striking sculptural presence, at once utilitarian in conception and highly refined in execution. At one side, the exterior is enlivened by a boldly carved stylised bird motif, rendered in relief with spiralling scrolls and sharply defined contours. The design resolves into a beak-like projection and concentric curvilinear elements that create a rhythmic play of shadow, the carving accentuated by traces of red pigment retained within the incised channels. A small suspension point is integrated into the motif, from which hangs a shell ornament, adding a delicate, pale counterpoint to the bowl’s dark surface and introducing an element of movement to the otherwise solid form. The interior is smoothly hollowed and carefully finished, its surface subtly burnished through use, while the exterior retains the crisp modelling of the carved relief. The thick rim and robust walls suggest the bowl’s intended role in communal consumption, where it would have been employed to present food at feasts and ceremonial gatherings. The suspension element and shell attachment indicate that the vessel was also conceived for display when not in use, its ornament proclaiming both identity and status within the social fabric of Massim life. Within Massim culture, such bowls were far more than functional utensils, serving as potent expressions of prestige and artistic lineage. The stylised bird, closely aligned with the region’s celebrated curvilinear carving traditions, evokes ancestral presence and the spiritual potency associated with clan emblems and ritual performance. The combination of carved form, pigment, and shell embellishment speaks to a sophisticated visual language in which the act of feasting was inseparable from display, hierarchy, and the reaffirmation of social bonds. A superb and highly evocative example, this bowl unites ceremonial function with sculptural virtuosity, embodying the Massim tradition in which everyday objects were elevated into statements of identity, authority, and ancestral power. Diameter: 41.5cm Height: 11cm Published in Anthony JP Meyer Oceanic Art, 1995, figure 152 Provenance: the Jolika Collection from Marcia & John Friede