Maro, Tapa Painting Lake Sentani, Indonesia, West Papua (Irian Jaya), Humboldt Bay/ Lake Sentani region First half 20th century Beaten bark (ficus?), natural pigments, painted by hand 44 ¼ x 22 ¼ ins. • 112.5 x 56.5 cm Provenance: Dr. Austin Newton collection, Princeton, NJ; purchased in Paris from Charles Ratton, circa 1969/1970. The initials “JV” written on the back of the barkcloth strongly suggest that this maro was originally sourced from the art dealer Jacques Viot, who assembled, and possibly commissioned, a group of these famous paintings during a collecting expedition undertaken on behalf of Pierre Loeb around 1929. The works are considered to be masterpieces of Sentani art. See several stylistically related paintings in The Menil Collection, Houston and The Nationaal Museum van Wereldkulturen, as well as other maros in the collections of The Met, New York, the De Young Museum, San Francisco, and the Musée du Quai Branly, Paris. SOLD
