Fine & Rare New Ireland Fish Malangan
Northern New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea
Wood, natural pigments, opercula shell
Length: 22 3/4 inches
19th century
Provenance: Collection of Surrealist painter Joop Moesman (1909-1988)
Galerie Lemaire, Amsterdam
Art Loss Register certificate provided #S00249328
The South Pacific islands of New Ireland were home to a complex and vibrant culture that produced some of the most imaginative carvings of Melanesia. The art of New Ireland traditionally centered around a series of mortuary ceremonies and feasts intended to honor the dead. In northern New Ireland, the name malangan was given to these mortuary ceremonies and their associated sculptures and masks. Malangan rites and rituals also marked important stages of an individual’s life, and men in particular, competed during their lifetime to obtain the greatest number of malangan rights. The possession of these rights and privileges to specific malangan images, and the rituals associated with them, conferred increased social status and prestige. Cleverly incorporated into carved sculptures, these attained images and motifs served as a visual resume for the deceased and additionally illustrated important concepts such as clan and kinship, gender, death, and the spirit world.
The preparation for a malangan ceremony would begin after a funeral and could continue for a year or more. During this time, performances were organized, feasts were prepared, and skilled carvers were commissioned to create complex sculptures that often incorporated both human figures and animals within their design. Since these preparations required a great deal of wealth in the form of pigs and shell money, it was common for families to combine their resources and sponsor a large ceremony for more than one individual. The purpose of the malangan ceremony was to send the souls of the deceased to the realm of the dead. At the climax of the ceremony, the commissioned sculptures were exhibited in temporary display structures. Each sculpture honored a specific individual and was intended to serve as a representation of an individual’s soul or life force. During the ceremony, the malangan sculptures were treated with the utmost care as it was believed that the souls of the deceased would enter the sculptures. Upon completion of the ceremony, the souls were believed to have left the body of the malangan and the world of the living, and the sculptures were no longer needed, and so were subsequently burned or allowed to rot in the forest. The sculptures could also be sold to the resident German colonial traders and administrators after the completion of a malangan ceremony; a practice that allowed many of these delicate 19th century carvings to survive in collections today.
Malangan sculptures often included stylized representations of birds, fish and other marine animals of identifiable species, alluding both to specific clan myths and the animals’ natural characteristics. The carved fish depicted in this sculpture is a representation of a Rock cod or awam. This fish is a hermaphrodite species that has the unusual life cycle of turning from male to female with age. This fish served as an important symbol of fertility for the clan because with its change in sex it became capable of reproducing. The Rock cod also symbolized the matrilineal structure of the New Ireland culture and illustrated an ancient myth describing the founding of the clan. Carved from the traditional wood of the Alstonia scholaris tree, the fish is finely painted with native pigments of red ocher, black charcoal, and white lime. The application of the very fine painted motifs is typical of 19th-century malangans and was achieved by the artist’s use of fine fibers obtained from the seed of the pandanus tree. The artist’s effort in painting the surface of the malangan was important, as it was believed to be responsible for bringing the sculpture to life. The placement of the opercula shell eyes, which so closely resemble the human eye, was the artist’s final step in the production of the malangan, as it was thought that the soul of the deceased entered the sculpture at that moment. Malangan carvings portraying fish are quite rare, and they were displayed both as independent sculptures and were also incorporated into upright figurative sculptures, whereby the figure was often positioned standing inside the mouth of the fish.
This New Ireland sculpture of a fish embodies the magical allure of malangan sculpture that so captivated the Surrealists. The elaborate and multi-meaning nature of malangan sculpture appealed to the Surrealists and their preoccupation with dreams and worlds beyond reality. They saw in these sculptures a source of inspiration for the fundamental departure from the Western traditions of rationality and logic. The movements leader, Andre Breton, and other prominent members owned and exchanged New Ireland malangan sculptures. It is likely through these exchanges that the malangan fish sculpture entered the collection of Dutch Surrealist painter Joop Moesman. Born Johannes Hendrikus Moesman in 1909 in Utrecht, he was the only child of the printer and renowned calligrapher J.A. Moesman. In the time of Moesman’s youth, Utrecht had a blooming artistic climate and in 1928 he came in contact with Surrealism through an exhibition at the Gallery Nord in Utrecht. The owner, Willem Wagenaar, sold the surrealist magazines Variétés and Sélection and also works by famous Surrealist painters. Through Wagenaar, Moesman became aware of the ideas and theories behind the paintings and saw works by Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte, whose work became a lifetime inspiration. Moesman would become the foremost surrealistic painter Holland has known. His paintings were considered provocative and twice they were removed from public exhibitions, due to authorities’ concerns about the public’s reaction. Pictured later in life in his studio in 1973, we observe Moesman at work, painting amongst several of his malangans, continuing to inform his Surrealist paintings. The fish malangan sculpture can be seen on the left of that image.
Northern New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea
Wood, natural pigments, opercula shell
Length: 22 3/4 inches
19th century
Provenance: Collection of Surrealist painter Joop Moesman (1909-1988)
Galerie Lemaire, Amsterdam
Art Loss Register certificate provided #S00249328
The South Pacific islands of New Ireland were home to a complex and vibrant culture that produced some of the most imaginative carvings of Melanesia. The art of New Ireland traditionally centered around a series of mortuary ceremonies and feasts intended to honor the dead. In northern New Ireland, the name malangan was given to these mortuary ceremonies and their associated sculptures and masks. Malangan rites and rituals also marked important stages of an individual’s life, and men in particular, competed during their lifetime to obtain the greatest number of malangan rights. The possession of these rights and privileges to specific malangan images, and the rituals associated with them, conferred increased social status and prestige. Cleverly incorporated into carved sculptures, these attained images and motifs served as a visual resume for the deceased and additionally illustrated important concepts such as clan and kinship, gender, death, and the spirit world.
The preparation for a malangan ceremony would begin after a funeral and could continue for a year or more. During this time, performances were organized, feasts were prepared, and skilled carvers were commissioned to create complex sculptures that often incorporated both human figures and animals within their design. Since these preparations required a great deal of wealth in the form of pigs and shell money, it was common for families to combine their resources and sponsor a large ceremony for more than one individual. The purpose of the malangan ceremony was to send the souls of the deceased to the realm of the dead. At the climax of the ceremony, the commissioned sculptures were exhibited in temporary display structures. Each sculpture honored a specific individual and was intended to serve as a representation of an individual’s soul or life force. During the ceremony, the malangan sculptures were treated with the utmost care as it was believed that the souls of the deceased would enter the sculptures. Upon completion of the ceremony, the souls were believed to have left the body of the malangan and the world of the living, and the sculptures were no longer needed, and so were subsequently burned or allowed to rot in the forest. The sculptures could also be sold to the resident German colonial traders and administrators after the completion of a malangan ceremony; a practice that allowed many of these delicate 19th century carvings to survive in collections today.
Malangan sculptures often included stylized representations of birds, fish and other marine animals of identifiable species, alluding both to specific clan myths and the animals’ natural characteristics. The carved fish depicted in this sculpture is a representation of a Rock cod or awam. This fish is a hermaphrodite species that has the unusual life cycle of turning from male to female with age. This fish served as an important symbol of fertility for the clan because with its change in sex it became capable of reproducing. The Rock cod also symbolized the matrilineal structure of the New Ireland culture and illustrated an ancient myth describing the founding of the clan. Carved from the traditional wood of the Alstonia scholaris tree, the fish is finely painted with native pigments of red ocher, black charcoal, and white lime. The application of the very fine painted motifs is typical of 19th-century malangans and was achieved by the artist’s use of fine fibers obtained from the seed of the pandanus tree. The artist’s effort in painting the surface of the malangan was important, as it was believed to be responsible for bringing the sculpture to life. The placement of the opercula shell eyes, which so closely resemble the human eye, was the artist’s final step in the production of the malangan, as it was thought that the soul of the deceased entered the sculpture at that moment. Malangan carvings portraying fish are quite rare, and they were displayed both as independent sculptures and were also incorporated into upright figurative sculptures, whereby the figure was often positioned standing inside the mouth of the fish.
This New Ireland sculpture of a fish embodies the magical allure of malangan sculpture that so captivated the Surrealists. The elaborate and multi-meaning nature of malangan sculpture appealed to the Surrealists and their preoccupation with dreams and worlds beyond reality. They saw in these sculptures a source of inspiration for the fundamental departure from the Western traditions of rationality and logic. The movements leader, Andre Breton, and other prominent members owned and exchanged New Ireland malangan sculptures. It is likely through these exchanges that the malangan fish sculpture entered the collection of Dutch Surrealist painter Joop Moesman. Born Johannes Hendrikus Moesman in 1909 in Utrecht, he was the only child of the printer and renowned calligrapher J.A. Moesman. In the time of Moesman’s youth, Utrecht had a blooming artistic climate and in 1928 he came in contact with Surrealism through an exhibition at the Gallery Nord in Utrecht. The owner, Willem Wagenaar, sold the surrealist magazines Variétés and Sélection and also works by famous Surrealist painters. Through Wagenaar, Moesman became aware of the ideas and theories behind the paintings and saw works by Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte, whose work became a lifetime inspiration. Moesman would become the foremost surrealistic painter Holland has known. His paintings were considered provocative and twice they were removed from public exhibitions, due to authorities’ concerns about the public’s reaction. Pictured later in life in his studio in 1973, we observe Moesman at work, painting amongst several of his malangans, continuing to inform his Surrealist paintings. The fish malangan sculpture can be seen on the left of that image.
Northern New Ireland, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea
Wood, natural pigments, opercula shell
Length: 22 3/4 inches
19th century
Provenance: Collection of Surrealist painter Joop Moesman (1909-1988)
Galerie Lemaire, Amsterdam
Art Loss Register certificate provided #S00249328
The South Pacific islands of New Ireland were home to a complex and vibrant culture that produced some of the most imaginative carvings of Melanesia. The art of New Ireland traditionally centered around a series of mortuary ceremonies and feasts intended to honor the dead. In northern New Ireland, the name malangan was given to these mortuary ceremonies and their associated sculptures and masks. Malangan rites and rituals also marked important stages of an individual’s life, and men in particular, competed during their lifetime to obtain the greatest number of malangan rights. The possession of these rights and privileges to specific malangan images, and the rituals associated with them, conferred increased social status and prestige. Cleverly incorporated into carved sculptures, these attained images and motifs served as a visual resume for the deceased and additionally illustrated important concepts such as clan and kinship, gender, death, and the spirit world.
The preparation for a malangan ceremony would begin after a funeral and could continue for a year or more. During this time, performances were organized, feasts were prepared, and skilled carvers were commissioned to create complex sculptures that often incorporated both human figures and animals within their design. Since these preparations required a great deal of wealth in the form of pigs and shell money, it was common for families to combine their resources and sponsor a large ceremony for more than one individual. The purpose of the malangan ceremony was to send the souls of the deceased to the realm of the dead. At the climax of the ceremony, the commissioned sculptures were exhibited in temporary display structures. Each sculpture honored a specific individual and was intended to serve as a representation of an individual’s soul or life force. During the ceremony, the malangan sculptures were treated with the utmost care as it was believed that the souls of the deceased would enter the sculptures. Upon completion of the ceremony, the souls were believed to have left the body of the malangan and the world of the living, and the sculptures were no longer needed, and so were subsequently burned or allowed to rot in the forest. The sculptures could also be sold to the resident German colonial traders and administrators after the completion of a malangan ceremony; a practice that allowed many of these delicate 19th century carvings to survive in collections today.
Malangan sculptures often included stylized representations of birds, fish and other marine animals of identifiable species, alluding both to specific clan myths and the animals’ natural characteristics. The carved fish depicted in this sculpture is a representation of a Rock cod or awam. This fish is a hermaphrodite species that has the unusual life cycle of turning from male to female with age. This fish served as an important symbol of fertility for the clan because with its change in sex it became capable of reproducing. The Rock cod also symbolized the matrilineal structure of the New Ireland culture and illustrated an ancient myth describing the founding of the clan. Carved from the traditional wood of the Alstonia scholaris tree, the fish is finely painted with native pigments of red ocher, black charcoal, and white lime. The application of the very fine painted motifs is typical of 19th-century malangans and was achieved by the artist’s use of fine fibers obtained from the seed of the pandanus tree. The artist’s effort in painting the surface of the malangan was important, as it was believed to be responsible for bringing the sculpture to life. The placement of the opercula shell eyes, which so closely resemble the human eye, was the artist’s final step in the production of the malangan, as it was thought that the soul of the deceased entered the sculpture at that moment. Malangan carvings portraying fish are quite rare, and they were displayed both as independent sculptures and were also incorporated into upright figurative sculptures, whereby the figure was often positioned standing inside the mouth of the fish.
This New Ireland sculpture of a fish embodies the magical allure of malangan sculpture that so captivated the Surrealists. The elaborate and multi-meaning nature of malangan sculpture appealed to the Surrealists and their preoccupation with dreams and worlds beyond reality. They saw in these sculptures a source of inspiration for the fundamental departure from the Western traditions of rationality and logic. The movements leader, Andre Breton, and other prominent members owned and exchanged New Ireland malangan sculptures. It is likely through these exchanges that the malangan fish sculpture entered the collection of Dutch Surrealist painter Joop Moesman. Born Johannes Hendrikus Moesman in 1909 in Utrecht, he was the only child of the printer and renowned calligrapher J.A. Moesman. In the time of Moesman’s youth, Utrecht had a blooming artistic climate and in 1928 he came in contact with Surrealism through an exhibition at the Gallery Nord in Utrecht. The owner, Willem Wagenaar, sold the surrealist magazines Variétés and Sélection and also works by famous Surrealist painters. Through Wagenaar, Moesman became aware of the ideas and theories behind the paintings and saw works by Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte, whose work became a lifetime inspiration. Moesman would become the foremost surrealistic painter Holland has known. His paintings were considered provocative and twice they were removed from public exhibitions, due to authorities’ concerns about the public’s reaction. Pictured later in life in his studio in 1973, we observe Moesman at work, painting amongst several of his malangans, continuing to inform his Surrealist paintings. The fish malangan sculpture can be seen on the left of that image.