Lot 50
LIME SPATULA BY MUTUAGA ◆
PAPUA NEW GUINEA, C. 1900 - 1910
Auction: 8 June 2022 at 14:00 BST
Description
carved wood, seated upon a circular platform above the blade, the handle in the form of a graceful squatting figure, shown with the hands clasped together, knees bent and drawn up into the body, the large head gazing upwards, with prominent nose, ears carved in high relief and carved bands scrolling into the eyes, the body and skull decorated with intricate incised motifs filled with lime, fine glossy patina
Dimensions
28cm tall
Footnote
Provenance:
Acquired at a West Country flea market and thereafter in a private collection, southwest England
Note:
The names of the vast majority of traditional Oceanic artists are lost to time. One noted exception is the master carver Mutuaga (fl. 1860’s - c. 1920), who achieved great renown in his own lifetime for the quality and poignancy of his work. Born in southeastern New Guinea c. 1860, Mutuaga worked in the Massim tradition of producing spatulas for the chewing of betel nut, a mild stimulant.
His work was quickly noticed and promoted widely, ultimately finding its way into galleries and museums across the world, even into the collections of artists such as Jacob Epstein.
The present piece is a rare example of his work, indeed less than thirty-five spatulas have been attributed to him. It aligns most closely with Beran’s (1996, p. 137) Style Variation 3 and dates to c. 1900 - 1910, a period in which Mutuaga’s work was becoming increasingly naturalistic.
For a similar example, please see:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession number 2008.571