Sepik Wooden Amulet Figure
Murik Lakes, Papua New Guinea, 19th-early 20th c.
PROVENANCE: Ernst Heinrich, Stuttgart. Craig Delora, New Jersey.
PUBLISHED: Yann Ferrandin Gallery. Manimals. Paris: 2009.

Bruce Frank Primitive Art. Powerful Magic: Miniature Sculptures from the Sepik River Region. New York: 2013, figure 3.

Small personal amulets from the Sepik in Papua New Guinea are made of a lightweight wood, which could be easily carried on the person for protection or attached to objects to guarantee success. This particular amulet is carved in a linear fashion. The figure exhibits short legs, which are accentuated by the figure's slender trunk and free carved arms. The amulet is crowned with a neck-less oval head, whose dominating facial features are quite remarkable. The eyes and nose are encircled in an arrow-shape form, emphasized by the pronounced chin.

Height: 4 in. high.
IN 9-10-13 / SOLD