67
largest group of Sepik–Ramu artworks included
in the project passed through the hands of
prominent mid-twentieth-century dealers and
collectors who had access to the descendants of
the original collectors. Chief among these was
Ernst Heinrich from Bad Cannstatt on the outer
fringe of Stuttgart. Ludwig Bretschneider, another
German dealer, based in Munich before
WWII, actively traded in New Guinea artifacts,
as did Boris Kegel-Konietzko in Hamburg and
the Stuttgart collector Herrman Seeger. Many
other fine works passed through the hands of
Amsterdam dealer Mathias Lemaire and collectors
Cornelis Muelendijk in Rotterdam and Jef
Vanderstraete in Lasne, Belgium. Another group
of objects was collected after the changeover
to Australian administration by Antipodeans
who had taken over from the Germans, both in
business and in government, and who then took
pieces with them on their return to Australia.
A final group was collected by Europeans and
Americans after WWII, and these are mainly
pieces from the upper reaches of the Sepik area.
FIG. 12 (left):
Female figure.
Karawari River, Papua New
Guinea. AD 1521–1663.
Wood. 87 cm.
Collected by Australian mining
engineer Tony Gates between 1964
and 1967.
Ex Richard Aldridge, Perth; Bruce
Moore, Belvedere, California; Luc
Clement, Brussels.
Photo: Hughes Dubois.
FIG. 13 (above):
Portico display ornament.
Iatmul, Middle Sepik River,
Papua New Guinea.
C. 1905.
Wood, pigments. D: 70 cm.
Ex Taylor Dale, London; John and
Marcia Friede (Jolika Collection),
Rye, New York; Marc Assayag,
Montreal.
Photo: Hughes Dubois.
FIG. 14 (right):
Suspension hook.
Western Iatmul, Middle
Sepik River. Papua New
Guinea. 19th century.
Wood, pigments. H: 54.5 cm.
Ex S. V. D. missionaries; van Steyl,
Teteringen, The Netherlands.
Photo: Hughes Dubois.