Polychrome Hunstein Ancestor Mask with Hornbill Beaks

Fine Hunstein mask, upper Salumei river Papua New Guinea of…
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Fine Hunstein mask, upper Salumei river Papua New Guinea of wood in classic ancestor form, the face with projecting eyes and stylised hornbill beaks, decorated polychrome pigments.

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  • Polychrome - Made or finished in many colours. For furniture, it is used to indicated a painted finish.
  • Hornbill - Oriental antique descriptions occasionally refer to "hornbill" or "hornbill ivory" as the material from which the object is made. In fact the hornbill is a large bird, the helmeted hornbill, found in a few South-East Asian countries, and the name is also applied to the material obtained from a growth on the upper section of the beak of the bird, known as a casque.

    In its natural form it is a yellow colour, but when the hornbill rubs its beak while preening its feathers, the growth turns a red colour.

    As well as being used as a carving material in areas where the bird is found, hornbill became popular as a carving medium with the Chinese in the 19th century, and it was prized (and priced) ahead of ivory and jade.

    The helmeted hornbill is listed in Appendix 1 of CITES, (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) meaning that trade in hornbill objects requires import and export permits.

    the s natural ivory from the bird, native to Indonesia. The hornbill is now an endangered species, but due to the apparent age of the jewelry, this item would be legal for trade. Hornbill ivory is not a true ivory as it is not a dentine material, but rather a keratin. Hornbill ivory of this nature was often carved from the lower layer of the hornbill casque for the western market. The upper area, with a strong red coloration, was traded to the Eastern market. The upper areas of these pieces yet show some of the red coloring. The rest is in the strong yellowish color of natural hornbill.

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