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• Auction House:
  Theodore Bruce
• Sale Name:
  Timed Online Auction | The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic African & Asian Art
• Sale Date:
  05 Dec 2022 ~ 6pm (AEDT)
• Lot #:
  9075
• Lot Description:
  Two Finely Carved Ceremonial Flute Stoppers, Sepik River Area, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea
  Both of these Flute Stoppers are still attached to part of the original bamboo flute,
  H 83, 92 cm
• Provenance:
  The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic Art
• Notes:
  for many New Guinea peoples, flutes are among the most sacred and important of all musical instruments. Sacred flutes were made from hollow cylinders of bamboo and played, like a Western flute, by blowing through a hole in the side of the instrument near the upper end. The tops of these flutes were frequently decorated with ornamental flute stoppers like this example. Some of the finest artworks made in the Sepik River area were the scared flute stoppers. Flute stoppers portray stylised human images or images of totemic animals. These sacred flutes were used in pairs and were kept hidden in the Men's Ceremonial House or haus tambaran. The sound of the flutes are the voices of specific honoured ancestors and the bear their personal names. Flutes are also associated with crocodile spirits and flutes were used during initiation rites in which novices had cuts made on their backs and chest that healed into permanent scarification that resemble crocodile skin marking them as initiated individuals. Sacred Flutes were only seen by initiated men and played during important ceremonies.
• Estimate:
  A$400 - 500
• Realised Price:
  $0.00
• Category:
  Tribal

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