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THBPNG Tami Island Figure w/ Selam Snake Biting Penis
Lot 10
About Seller
Artemis Fine Arts
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$1,000 - $1,800
Starting Bid
$500
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Fine Arts
Aug 22, 2025
Set Reminder
2025-08-22 10:00:00
2025-08-22 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Indigenous Art - Ralph T. Coe Center, Santa Fe, NM
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/indigenous-art---ralph-t-coe-center-santa-fe-nm-20324
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
View Full Catalog (452)
- Lot Description
Oceania, Melanesia, Papua New Guinea, Morobe Province, Huon Gulf, Tami Islands, ca. 1900 CE. A finely carved wooden suspension figure from the Huon Gulf region, Tami Islands, representing a mythological ancestor caught in a dramatic and symbolic ordeal. The figure is shown being bitten on the penis by the selam snake, a mythical creature feared in local lore for its seductive power and lethal nature. In Tami tradition, the selam snake is said to lure young men before killing them, its bite a metaphor for danger disguised as desire. According to Biro, such sculptures were created to present and preserve the selam myth in tangible form. The figure's elongated form is articulated with incised motifs along the torso and arms, and the head bears a prominent projection interpreted as a feather headdress - an emblem of status and ceremonial identity. Size: 4.3" W x 21" H (10.9 cm x 53.3 cm); 21.75" H (55.2 cm) on included custom stand.
This projection may also be the remnant of a suspension device, suggesting that the figure was originally hung within a ceremonial house. In some instances, such figures were displayed upside down, a deliberate inversion rich in symbolic associations. The serpent is carved in high relief as it slithers down the lower body, its head pressed against the groin, mouth open in the fateful bite. The face of the figure is rendered with stylized features, framed by angular ears and crowned by the tall headdress. The entire composition fuses myth, warning, and ancestral homage in a single sculptural form.
Suspension figures such as this served as visual storytelling devices in the sacred architecture of the Tami people. They functioned as moral and protective symbols, confronting viewers with the ever-present dangers of temptation while affirming the enduring authority of ancestral knowledge. This example, preserved with a warm aged patina, embodies the intersection of myth, ritual, and artistry in early 20th century Tami wood sculpture.
Exhibited: "Eye Opener," 2018. Hands-On Curatorial Program exhibition, Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts; "The Ralph T. Coe Legacy 'Instruments of Passion'" at The Santa Fe Show August 9-13, 2013 and El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe Aug 14-30, 2013; "Hands on... Culture Shock!" at Ralph T. Coe Foundation for the Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico, Hands-On Curatorial Program 2015, April 25 - December 31, 2015.
Provenance: Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA, purchased in April 2000; ex-Taylor Dale Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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#195949Chipping to top and front of headdress, as well as stable fissure from top of headdress to chest. Surface wear with some scratches, nicks and abrasions commensurate with age. Otherwise, intact with liberal remains of white pigment and patina to surface of wood.Condition
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