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Figure of mythical hero, C-14 dating: 1490–1670 (93 % probability)
Wood
147.3 x 33 x 38.1 cm (58 x 13.5 x 15 in.)
The Marcia and John Friede Collection, a Promised Gift to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco L05.1.432

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Artist Biography: (none) PROVENANCE: "Collected by H. Zöller in Bogadjim village in 1890; Ernst Heinrich Collection, Bad Canstadt, Stuttgart." (Catalog #363, New Guinea Art: Masterpieces from the Jolika Collection of Marcia and John Friede, 2005, Volume 2, p. 142.) PUBLICATIONS: 2005 - "This is a telum figure which represents the principal mythical hero in the Astrolabe firmament. He is the circumcision spirit who controls initiation and the maturation of mankind. There are three other stylistically comparable representations of this being: in the Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde, Leiden; the Vereinigte Evangelische Mission, Wüppertal, Germany; and in a private American collection. Interestingly, they all show the same facial deformation of an inflated right cheek, relative to its left counterpart (personal observation). According to Nikolai N. Miklouho-Maclay, the protrusion from the mouth is not a tongue but a bul or bulra, which is a dance and war ornament held in the mouth. It sometimes includes circular parts representing a boar tusk and may symbolize a killed enemy. The openwork ornaments on either side of the head represent a prestigious head decoration of boar tusk and the pierced earlobes show carved representations of a turtle shell ornaments worn by both men and women. Unusual and intriguing parts are the headdress with its long triangular part hanging down along the back of the figure, and the upward curved forms on which the figure stands. Because of their shape and serrated fringes, it is tempting to suggest that the latter may represent the wings of a bird carrying the hero through the air in mythical times. This is reinforced when the object is compared with the finial of a taro ladle from the Tami Islands (pl. 385), which shows a figure in a similar posture standing on the widespread wings of a (completely carved) bird, with the fingers and wing tips connected (Dirk Smidt, personal observation; see also Kaeppler, Kaufmann, and Newton, 1997, fig. 638). These carvings, from different but related areas in the northeast coast region of New Guinea, probably reflect a common mythical theme. The figure was reportedly displayed in a ceremonial men's house (asa-tal) that was associated with a particular caln. Tibor Bodrogi states that Astrolabe Bay "is one of the most archaic parts of New Guinea" (Bodrogi, 1953: 91). It was also the first spot in northern New Guinea where the European Miklouho-Maclay landed in 1871 to study the people. In 1877 at Bongu village he made a sketch of the telum figure now at the museum in Leiden (see Miklouho-Maclay, 1975, fig. 6; and Webster, 1984, fig. opp. p. 214). For a summary of the available information on this kind of figure, see Smidt, 1990: 310-12." (Catalog #363, New Guinea Art: Masterpieces from the Jolika Collection of Marcia and John Friede, 2005, Volume 2, p. 142.) 1971 - Schmitz, 1971: pl. 115. 1959 - Schmitz, 1959: 57-60.

Related Keywords
hero mythical of Figure Francisco San Museums Arts Fine Gift Promised 142 p 2 Volume 2005 Friede John Marcia Jolika Masterpieces Art 363 Catalog Stuttgart Canstadt Bad Heinrich Ernst 1890 Z*ller H by Collected speakers language Bom village Bogadjim Oceania Province Madang Guinea New Papua Melanesia Sculpture Wood 0709200406050402 A361961 L05.1.432 AOA