Iatmul Culture, Middle Sepik River, Papua New Guinea
Early 20th century
Wood, lime and ocher pigments
Height 27.5 inches
Provenance: Joseph Butler – Tarrytown, New York / Private collection – Sydney, Australia / Chris and Anna Thorpe – Sydney, Australia.
Suspension hooks, or samban, served both utilitarian and ceremonial functions for the Iatmul people of the Sepik River Basin. Suspended from the rafters by a fiber cordage secured through a hole at the top of the sculpture, samban were used to safeguard food and other valuables, which were placed in baskets or string bilum bags and hung from the hook-shaped prongs at the base, to keep them safely out of reach from animal predation. The Iatmul samban hook presented here depicts a pair of primordial ancestor figures powerfully portrayed in janiform, their classic stylized faces framed by raised curvilinear forms spiraling outwards from the eyes. A carved shell ornament adorns the forehead and remains of white lime and red ocher pigments accentuate the carved facial features. The single body elegantly tapers to joined legs that terminate with a pair of robust hooks rendered in the form of a crescent.
Iatmul Culture, Middle Sepik River, Papua New Guinea
Early 20th century
Wood, lime and ocher pigments
Height 27.5 inches
Provenance: Joseph Butler – Tarrytown, New York / Private collection – Sydney, Australia / Chris and Anna Thorpe – Sydney, Australia.
Suspension hooks, or samban, served both utilitarian and ceremonial functions for the Iatmul people of the Sepik River Basin. Suspended from the rafters by a fiber cordage secured through a hole at the top of the sculpture, samban were used to safeguard food and other valuables, which were placed in baskets or string bilum bags and hung from the hook-shaped prongs at the base, to keep them safely out of reach from animal predation. The Iatmul samban hook presented here depicts a pair of primordial ancestor figures powerfully portrayed in janiform, their classic stylized faces framed by raised curvilinear forms spiraling outwards from the eyes. A carved shell ornament adorns the forehead and remains of white lime and red ocher pigments accentuate the carved facial features. The single body elegantly tapers to joined legs that terminate with a pair of robust hooks rendered in the form of a crescent.
