Papua New Guinea rare Kakame Imunu wooden antique statue figure Oceanic art 43\"
![Papua New Guinea rare Kakame Imunu wooden antique statue figure Oceanic art 43\](img-large/g/gWIAAOSwuhhXU3TL/s-l1600/Papua-New-Guinea-rare-Kakame-Imunu-wooden-antique-.jpg "Papua New Guinea rare Kakame Imunu wooden antique statue figure Oceanic art 43\")
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Papua New Guinea rare Kakame Imunu wooden antique statue figure Oceanic art 43\" :
$1250.00
Papua New Guinea fine, rare and authentic Kakame Imunu antique wooden spirit statue, c. early-to-mid 20th centuryThis is a very rare and exquisite Kakame / Imunu wooden spirit statue from the Papuan Gulf area of Papua New Guinea. The raw material for the piece was carefully selected such that branches were pre-positioned for use as the arms and legs. The artist\'s challenge was tolook at the living tree and seethe figure in his mind\'s eye; then he had to cut away the superfluous wood to liberate the envisioned spirit figure. I would submit that the artist did an outstanding job on this one, as it somehow exudes a sense of dynamic life energy. This piece has an especially impressive amount of raised relief carving, including curious strapwork on the chest and back. The carving is beautifully accentuated with vivid natural polychrome pigments. The Kakame-Imunu is a rare and desirable form, and this is a best quality example of very generous size.If you Google \"Papua Kakame\" or \"Papua Imunu\", you will see examples listed for $6,000-12,000, these generally being somewhat smaller (and often rather stumpy, drab and indifferently carved compared to this stunning example), which I submit is worthy of the finest gallery or museum collection.
VideoPlease have a look at a video I shot for this piece to bottom of page)
Age and ProvenanceThis piece likely dates from the mid 20th century, circa 1930\'s - 1950\'s. It could be older by a couple of decades, but I will lean toward being conservative. One important clue to the age is found in its an old dealer tag from the New Guinea Primitive Arts, Sydney [Australia]. By the looks of the tag, it dates from the 1970\'s or 1980\'s. By 1990, this gallery-museum\'s trail goes cold. Today any listings lack a website or email contact, and so I conclude that they are defunct or inactive, at least for sales.I have spoken with the actual founder of the gallery, Mr. Barry Sinclair, by telephone and email and he tells me he founded the company circa 1964. Anyway, fromNew Guinea Primitive Arts gallery in Sydney, this piece went to a California collector, whoheld this piece during the subsequent decades. He had the foresight to retain the dealer tag, while also prizing this piece enough to invest in a high-end, custom steel stand, which is simply not the type of item one commissions to display a cheap tourist curio. This stand, which hooks snugly under the figure\'s arms, is included with the item in this sale. Last year,I obtainedthis item, as well as a few other fine PNG piecesfrom this same CA estate (among them also a large, outstanding and authentic Yentchen roof finial, under separate listing).
Coming back to the founder of the gallery for a moment, several months ago, like I said, I tracked down theemail and then phone number of the actual founder ofNew Guinea Primitive Arts. He is an Australian gent by the name ofBarry Sinclair, and is now 81 years old. I asked him to have a look at photos of this Kakame, as well as the Yentchen and two other ancestor figures I had obtained from that same CA collection.Mr. Sinclair authenticated these pieces, without recalling them individually. Turns out he sold his interest in the gallery in the early \'70\'s, and these pieces were probably sold through the gallery a few years after he left. Mr. Sinclair has a great deal of experience in handling authentic PNG art from an era when museum-worthy pieces could routinely still be found in the field. Within this important historical context, I consider Mr. Sinclair\'s opinion very worthy. His vetting of this piece to be eminently relevant to the discussion of this particular Kakame and to the subject of PNG field-collected art in general. He is a real treasure trove on info and anecdotes. The new owner may have Mr. Sinclair\'s contact information if they like, and may certainly feel free to contacthim, if only to verify that he haspersonally\"liked\" this Kakame..
Dimensions43.5\" inches (110 cm) tall, 28.5\" (72 cm) wide across the arms.
Weight:Statue: 12 lb. (5.5 kg) without standStand: 10 lb. (4.5 kg)Total shipping weightfor calculating your estimated shipping = item + stand + box + packing materials =approx: 35 lb.
Shipping: Will vary, depending on your location. The item is in NYC. Domestic buyers will pay less the closer they are. International buyers will have a considerably higher shipping cost. Shipping to Australia will cost the most. Use the Shipping Calculator to plug in the Dimensions.
Papua New Guinea rare Kakame Imunu wooden antique statue figure Oceanic art 43\" :
$1250.00