Carver’s Knife Handle
Lake Sentani, North West New Guinea
19th Century or earlier
Previous collection: Emile Bouchard Collection. France. Marcia and John Friede, Rye,NY
Collected by J. Viot in 1929

Published in “Art of North West New Guinea” by Grueb Pg 92. Tribal Arts Magazine Summer 1995 Memorium of E. Bouchard - The handle is visible in photo.
Early carvings from Lake Sentani are very rare. In addition to its rarity the pedigree of this handle is second to none; collected by one of the most famous early field collectors; owned by famous collectors in America & Europe and published in an excellent book on the region. The sculpture is tight overall with details throughout the figure, making the object attractive from all angles. The patina exhibits wear from decades of use and the warm reddish brown hue of the wood is very appealing.

This Handle stands 6 inches tall
SOLD / IN 8-3-10