Papua New Guinea Feast Bowl

Papua New Guinea feast bowl played a vital role in ceremonial life, used in the preparation and distribution of food during important feasts and rituals. Many were exchanged as gifts in marriage ceremonies, reinforcing social bonds and alliances within the community. This bowl features an ancestral figure wearing a Sepik mask on both sides, serving as handles. Sepik masks feature large heads, pointed tops, circular eyes, and long, arching beak-shaped noses. Central to male religious life, they are worn during initiation and ceremonies. The elongated, beak-like noses, inspired by totemic birds, symbolize power, as seen among the Murik people. In some New Guinea cultures, a long nose signifies beauty and holds social and spiritual importance. Spirit figures are depicted with long, hooked noses, while more human-like noses represent actual humans or spirits in human form.

Origin: Papua New Guinea
Material: Wooden Carving
Dimension: 47 x 16 x 7,5cm