Korwar Neck Rest

Cenderawasih Bay, Western New Guinea
19th Early 20th century
Wood
6.25 in / 16 cm

Ex Hille Ris Lambers Family Collection to Dutch art dealer Mr.Bouwman of Kunsthandel Aalderink BV in Amsterdam

This is a classical Korwar neck rest, with double ancestor figures and twin nagas. These motifs are more than decorative, functioning to protect the head of the owner in a headhunting society. This neck was acquired from the son of Dr. Hille Ris Lambers who was imprisoned in the marine camp in Malang during the Second World War. He collected the neck rest before the war, according to his son. I was told it stayed on the bookshelf in the same place for 60 years, hence the dry, old European patina.