Antique Carved Crocodile Canoe Prow Figure

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Description

We're proud to present this extraordinary antique hand carved wooden crocodile canoe prow, collected from the Central Sepik River region … Read more We're proud to present this extraordinary antique hand carved wooden crocodile canoe prow, collected from the Central Sepik River region of Papua, New Guinea, Oceania, dating to the turn of the late 19th / early 20th century, likely Iatmul people.

A dugout canoe was the most important mobility device in the Sepik River region. In mythology the crocodiles encorporate a "gulping monster", used at initiation rites. It was of decisive importance in religious and ritual contexts, and was the most significant and symbolic art theme within the entire region. Accordingly it was the preferred motif for prow figures of dugout canoes, which were used for transportation, fishing, and warfare, including cannibalism during headhunter raids in former times. The success of these ventures depended not only on the skill and preparation of the clansman, but on the protection of the canoe’s features.

The exceptionally executed Indonesian antique, circa 1900, depicts a richly detailed, naturalistic rendering of a crocodile head. The elaborately hand sculpted carving features textured incised decorated skin, atop a sleek head with eyes protruding from the top, an elongated snout display a jaw full of large jagged teeth exposed from it's snarling mouth. The crocodile is symbolic to the Iatmul, who believe they are descended from a giant crocodile, and that the world is the back of that first crocodile.

Not simply decoration, the canoe prow figure would act to protect the crew during their voyage. Secured to the ship just at the water line, he would alternately rise above the water and dip down below it, surveying the horizon, and then the depths of the ocean, to detect, and see off, any human or supernatural forces that might come against the ship. Assuring the wind stayed calm and the waves low, he secured safe passage for the ship through his effective presence.

Crocodiles play a central role in the art and culture of the Iatmul people. According to one Iatmul creation account, an ancestral crocodile was responsible for forming the land. In the beginning, the earth was covered by a primordial ocean, into whose depths the crocodile dived. Reaching the bottom, it brought up on its back a load of mud, which became an island when it surfaced. From that island, the land grew and hardened, but it continues to rest on the back of the ancestral crocodile, which occasionally moves, causing earthquakes.

Both now and in the past, the prows of most sizeable canoes are carved, as here, in the sculptural form of a crocodile. The scale of the present work indicates that it probably adorned a small to medium sized war canoe, capable of holding from three to ten men. These canoes, hollowed from a single massive log, were also used for trading and fishing expeditions. Although canoes are no longer used in common tribal warfare, contemporary Iatmul carvers continue to make large examples for use in trade and general transportation.

An authentic example such as this would look wonderful displayed atop a console, large shelf, or table! Important, unusual, and whimsical, having historic depth, and rustic antique character, this primitive folk art is the perfect decorative work, interesting, conversational, and artistic, it's sure to standout!

Dimensions: (approx)
21.75" Long, 4.25" High, 8.75" Wide

Provenance:
Acquired from an Austin, Texas, estate, part of an important private collection.

Note:
A very similar sculpture is on display at the MET Museum, Fifth Avenue, NYC. Exhibited at The Museum of Primitive Art, New York, 1955–1978; Part of the Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchased by Nelson A. Rockefeller, Gift, 1955, prior Julius Carlebach Gallery, New York, until 1955. See less