Gope votive board, Wowolo village. Urama district,... Lot 34

Gope votive board, Wowolo village. Urama district, Gulf of Papua Papua New Guinea Carved wood. Ochre pigment, lime, traces of black pigment Inscription on back in graphite: 203 / 25.2.66 Dimensions: 144 x 29 cm Provenance: Thomas Schultze - Thomas Schultze Westrum Collection - The Jolika Collection of Marcia & John Friede. Rye, New York Receptacle of powerful spirits votive boards Gope were kept in the ceremonial house, the seat of the spirit world, to enable the spirits to communicate with the men of the community. As Thomas Schultze Westrum's note indicates, this board was collected in the village of Wowolo, on the tributary of the Kikori River, on February 25, 1966, indicating that its style, close to the Urama culture, is of fine craftsmanship. A rare example of ancient art from the Urama district. The remarkable dynamics of the linear, curvilinear decoration in slight relief, playing subtly with alternating red and white pigments, is accentuated by the slender line of the bark support. The rich, geometrically-decorated motif lends the schematized figure a superb dynamic. The small, horizontally-stretched face is topped by a conical headdress, where a circular hanging hole appears. The arms, enhanced with white pigments, appear to be tucked under the chin. For a very similarly structured model from the Ernst Beyeler collection, see Christie's New York. 10.5.2012, lot 2.