Boiken Bird Mask
Boiken Bird Mask
Period 20th century
Origin Melanesia
Medium Woven cane, wood and various layers of traditional pigments
Dimension 32.5 x 34.5 x 28 cm (12³/₄ x 13⁵/₈ x 11 inches)
The Papuan Frogmouth is actually a nocturnal bird that belongs to a family called Nightjars. It is the largest Frogmouth of its type reaching up to 60 cm in length and a master of disguise with incredible camouflage skills as their mottled brown, grey and beige patterned feathers, blend seamlessly into tree bark.
Boiken Area, North of the Mouth of the Sepik River, PNG, Melanesia.
Period: 20th century
Origin: Melanesia
Medium: Woven cane, wood and various layers of traditional pigments
Dimension: 32.5 x 34.5 x 28 cm (12³/₄ x 13⁵/₈ x 11 inches)
Provenance: Collected in the field by Michael Hamson. No other early and used mask of this type is presently recorded however an overmodeled Papuan frogmouth skull (previously identified as that of a Harpy eagle) is known from the Iatmul area (see Meyer, 1995, fig. 416, p. 382). Ex coll. : Gal. Meyer, Paris ; Dr. & Mme. Capier, France.
Galerie Meyer-Oceanic Art
Tribal Art dealer specializing in early Oceanic Art since 1980 and archaic Eskimo Art since 2010
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