Asmat Body Mask Witco Morris Graves painted surrealistic still-lifes

Morris Graves painted surrealistic still-lifes of symbols and objects drawn from nature and Eastern religions

They measure 34 3/4 inches and 34 1/2 inches long

Haida or Tlingit the carved horn handle attached with two copper pins

and the rare life-sized aspect of the sculpture together lend a supernatural

Well-developed patina

Asmat Body Mask Witco Morris Graves painted surrealistic still-lifesThe Asmat people of southwest New Guinea create and use elaborate woven masks for ritual feasts that celebrate the passage of the recently deceased from the world of the living to the ancestral realm known as safan. Each body mask is a complex ensemble comprising a wealth of locally sourced materials including mulberry fiber, sago palm leaves, wood, bamboo, feathers and seeds. The torso and shoulders are constructed of rattan in a single rod coiled