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ART on view objects that have a daily function, such as boat prows (figs. 20 and 21), tool handles, and household bowls. At the time of Wallace’s explorations of the Malay Archipelago 110 there was a growing awareness among Western natural historians and ethnologists of the region’s environment and cultures. Eventually this led to discoveries of new forms of art, which began to be appreciated by Western artists and collectors by the early twentieth century. Wallace himself noted the exceptional aesthetic sense demonstrated by the people of Cenderawasih Bay: The people of Dorey West Cenderawasih Bay are great carvers and painters. … The high-beaked prows of their boats are ornamented with masses of open filigree work, cut out of solid blocks of wood, and often of very tasteful design. As a figurehead, or pinnacle, there is often a human figure, with a head of cassowary feathers to imitate the Papuan “mop.” The floats of their fishing lines, the wooden beaters used in tempering the clay for their pottery, their tobacco-boxes, and other household articles, are covered with carving of tasteful and often elegant design. … They have all a decided love for the fine arts, and spend their leisure time in executing works whose good taste and elegance would often be admired in our schools of design!2 Most of the exhibition’s artworks were made to benefit communal and personal well-being. Figural sculptures commemorate the village founders and lineage ancestors. Large structures, such as the Flores forked posts, were erected to ensure cosmic order and balance. They were originally placed in ritually significant locations, at the center of the village or in locations associated in legend or oral history with events that were important to the community. But not all objects on display were intended to be used in a ritual or ceremonial context. Functional objects are also embellished—swords, knife or adze handles, and fishing tools. The art made “east of the Wallace Line” shows a marked interest in intricate interlacing patterns and complex geometric designs, used to decorate largescale surfaces, such as ritual posts and architectural elements, as well as small objects such as combs and spoons. The same love for intricate patterns, often combined with minute representations of ancestors, is found throughout. Despite great cultural diversity, there are iconographic and stylistic elements that connect across the region. The timing for the exhibition was too short for a catalog. But with the generous assistance of Eight Communications, the branding and design firm which Tom Jaffe’s late wife, Donna Torrance, founded and which he now runs, an iPad app will be available which will allow visitors to explore cultural themes that unite the wider region and place the art into context. FIG. 18 (above): Ancestor or deity figure. Waigeo, Raja Ampat Islands. 19th century. Wood. Lent by Thomas Jaffe, Yale University Art Gallery, inv. TR2013.15567.45. Photo: Johan Vipper. FIG. 19 (left): Canoe prow ornament. Cenderawasih Bay, West Papua. 19th century. Wood, cassowary feathers. Lent by Thomas Jaffe, Yale University Art Gallery, inv. TR2013.15567.26. Photo: Johan Vipper. FIG. 20 (below): Canoe prow ornament. Biak, Cenderawasih Bay, Western Papua. Mid 19th–early 20th century. Wood, cassowary feathers. Gift of Anne Mitro in memory of Frieda and Milton Rosenthal, Yale University Art Gallery, inv. 2009.85.6.


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