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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 #:
  9179
• Lot Description:
  A Collection of Fifteen Antique Glass Earrings from the Geelvink Bay Area of West Papua, Indonesia
  these Glass Earrings were collected in Geelvink Bay and the Waropen Coast along the North Coast of West New Guinea.
  L 3.5 - 5 cm
• Provenance:
  The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic Art
• References:
  References for further reading on this interesting subject: Plumes from Paradise by Dr Pamela Swaddling 1996. Swadling was the archeologist at the Papua New Guinea National Museum for decades.
• Notes:
  Called 'dimbo 'in the local Warpoen language, they were an important type of traditional wealth use for bride price payments & other types of compensation payments & for goods. They originally acquired over centuries from Malay Traders who came to obtain Bird of Paradise feathers for the royalty of the Asia & Europe. It is thought that this trade went over 2000- 3000 years, in an archeological dig in Lake Sentani they found Dong Song Bronze Axe Heads, Kettle Drums and ancient glass beads and ornaments. Some of these glass earrings are of antiquity and are certainly based on the glass tear drop shaped ornaments from the 'Dong Song 'bronze age culture of Vietnam (1000 BC to 1 BC). This trade between Malay traders & Melanesianís had been going on for centuries as evident in the trade goods they left behind, ancient glass beads, bangles & earrings & bronze age axes, kettle drums & ceramics. In the late 19th century people from Eastern Indonesia, brought forge and bellows technology to this area of New Guinea, this allowed them to have rudimentary metal working techniques & also glass melting technology. This allowed them to make their own glass earrings from old bottles that were also highly valued as traditional wealth. An article in Ornament Magazine said that the earrings were 13th Century Glass made in Java.
• Estimate:
  A$300 - 500
• 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.