Top of a large sagou ghule spatula, Madawa region.... Lot 60

Top of a large sagou ghule spatula, Madawa region. Southeast Island. Louisiade Archipelago 19th century Length: 67cm Provenance:. Collected by Richard Aldridge, in the Madawa region. Marcia & John Friede. The Jolika Collection. Rye, New York bibliography: - Marcelin, 2016. Art Massim, reproduced on page 134 Voluptuousness, lightness, finesse of execution of the undulating forms and openwork parts, giving this work its beauty and importance, representing the bow of a pirogue, the carved and openwork wood decorated with birds, magnifies this spatula. Intended for stirring a sago-based soup prepared for ceremonial feasts, notably the second of the three ceremonies performed on the occasion of a death. It was also used to prepare moni (called mona in the Trobriand Islands), taro-based dumplings boiled in coconut milk. This carved decoration is similar to that on a lime spatula made on Rossel Island or the Southeast Island from the Harry Beran Collection (HB 197), see no. 107 in this catalog.