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• Auction House:
  Theodore Bruce
• Sale Name:
  The Todd Barlin Collection of Fine Oceanic & Asian Arts
• Sale Date:
  08 May 2016 ~ 12noon
• Lot #:
  205
• Lot Description:
  A Collection of Twenty Old Glass Earrings from Geelvink Bay, [20]
  these Glass Earrings were collected on the Waropen Coast & Geelvink Bay along the North Coast of West Papua during several trips there in 1985-86.
  3 cm to 6 cm
• Provenance:
  Todd Barlin Collection.
• Notes:
  Called dimbo" in the local Warpoen language, they were an important type of traditional wealth used for bride price payments & other types of compensation payments. As the Papuan's had no glass technology they were obtained from Malay Traders & the Sultan of Tidore in exchange for Bird of Paradise Skins native to the island of New Guinea, the feathers were highly sought throughout SE Asia, China & as far as Europe. Some of these glass earrings are of great antiquity & are certainly based on the glass tear drop shaped ornaments from the "Dong Song" bronze age culture of Vietnam (1000 BC to 1 BC). Trade between Malay traders & Melanesian's had been going on for centuries as evident in the trade goods they left behind, ancient glass items like these earrings, glass beads, bangles & earrings & bronze age axes, kettle drums & ceramics. For further information of this trade, see the book "Plumes from Paradise" by Dr Pamela Swadling
• Estimate:
  A$600 - 800
• 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.