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• Auction House:
  Theodore Bruce
• Sale Name:
  Timed Online Auction | The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic and Asian Art | Day I
• Sale Date:
  08 Aug 2022 ~ 6pm (AEST)
• Lot #:
  9121
• Lot Description:
  A Finely Carved Pig Killing Hammer, Ambrym Island, Vanuatu, Mid-20th Century
  The final finely carved with double ancestor faces, on a custom stand.
  H 60 cm
• Provenance:
  Leo Fortess (1918 - 2002) was well known for collecting Pacific artifacts. Over 50 years of collecting Pacific Islands Art Fortess made an important collection of Pacific Art & Artifacts part of which was donated to public institutions; Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic Art
• Notes:
  Most of Vanuatu cultures have complex men's secret societies, which involve a series of ritual "grades" through which individuals pass, by means of initiation rites, festivals, and pig sacrifices, in order to achieve increasing religious and social status. Special ritual objects were made & used for these secret men's societies. This Pig Killing Club is like a deified ancestor in its ceremonial importance. When a man taking a higher grade in the Men's Secret Society which is done over a lifetime of ceremonies, they must be able sacrifice Pigs, not just any type of pigs but important pigs where they were specially raised by knocking out the back-molar teeth so that the boar's tusks could come back through the jaw making a full circle & sometimes even a double circle. An important man taking a high grade could sacrifice as many as 500 pigs and full circle tusk pigs were the most prestige. When I was in Vanuatu 38 years ago, I saw some very old Pig Club like this but it would be impossible to try and buy it as they were too valued to consider money
• Estimate:
  A$400 - 600
• Realised Price:
  *****
  

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• Category:
  Tribal

This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.