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Oceania, Papua New Guinea, Sepik River region, ca. mid 20th century CE. A beautiful example of a wooden canoe prow with an avian form – a long-beaked, heron-like bird whose head meets emerges proudly from the front, its body carved in high relief along the surface of the prow. The entire body is painted a dark, shiny green. The bird depicted is probably a friarbird, believed in this region to be a messenger from the ancestors who will watch over fishermen at sea. Size: 20.25″ L x 8.65″ W (51.4 cm x 22 cm); 11.2″ H (28.4 cm) on included custom stand.
Condition: Wear to surface commensurate with age, with small areas of scratching and losses to pigment. One corner is missing from the lower end as shown.
Provenance: ex-private Tucson, Arizona, USA collection; ex-Ron Perry collection; Ron Perry collected art and artifacts for more than 40 years in New Guinea and the South Pacific. He collaborated with Carolyn Leigh to write a book entitled, “Art Dealer in the Last Unknown: Ron Perry & New Guinea Art: the early years 1964-1972” (2011)
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