New Guinea Papuan Gulf Elema Carved Ceremonial Drum
New Guinea Papuan Gulf Elema Carved Ceremonial Drum
Origin: New Guinea, Gulf Province, Papuan Gulf Elema People (Provenance: Ex. Lynda Cunningham Collection, Philmont New York)
Period/Date: Early 20th C.
Materials: Hardwood, Lime, Resin, Reptile skin (Lizard)
Description: This lovely old shark mouth gulf drum has a singular bold ancestor face on the front, combined with carved vigorous clan motifs and geometric shapes. It retains its Lizard skin drum head. It also retains much of its crusty lime infill. It has seen a lot of use and is not in perfect shape. It appears that several linear cracks were mended over time in the field and have applied sap resin. There is also some loss to the rim of the mouth. There is a nice relief-carved chevron design midpoint at the handle. Presented on a custom wood and metal display stand.
Dimensions: Height 27.5” (67 cm), width 18” ( cm)