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Flute stopper depicting a slender bird, probably a hornbill. These sacred flutes are played during initiation ceremonies.
The bird is elegant and dynamic.
Wood covered with ochre pigments and blackened in places.
Local restoration to the beak.
Height: 46 cm
Sawos people, Eastern Sepik, Papua New Guinea
Mid 20th century
Provenance: Ex-collection Gérald Minkoff and Muriel Olesen, Geneva, Switzerland.
Ref: CTF38J9RJJ