Ceremonial Head Decoration May River Area, Papua New Guinea Wood, feathers, rattan, cloth and natural pigments Early 20th century 9” (23 cm) tall by 10” (25.5 cm) wide A rare janus faced ceremonial head decoration from the May River Area of New Guinea. The double sided face is made from a light balsa wood and adorned with feathers and natural pigment. There is a bit of the rattan and fabric framework that would have attached it to a much larger costume. This piece was purchased by Stanly Moriarty in New Guinea in1961 from Bruce Lawes who had just recently field collected it. There is an old Moriarty inventory card (digital now) with some notes to go with the piece. $2500
