Barkcloth Painting

1982

Not on view

Complex iconography executed in a technique that employs black and red pigments in a dynamic reverse painting style attest to the quality of textile works from the Uramot Baining people who live in the central mountains of the Gazelle peninsula, East New Britain in Papua New Guinea. This painted barkcloth is a vibrant example of the genre and illustrates the dynamic iconography that relates to important clan designs used on various art forms in the region including the flat lengths of barkcloth that are stretched over fiber frames to create impressive towering masks. Composite helmet masks and/or their side panels are used in ritual cycles for both day and night time masking ceremonies.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Barkcloth Painting
Date: 1982
Geography: Papua New Guinea, New Britain, East New Britain, Gaulim village
Culture: Uramot Baining people
Medium: Barkcloth, pigment
Dimensions: W. 14 1/4 × L. 51 in. (36.2 × 129.5 cm)
Classifications: Barkcloth, Paintings, Textiles-Painted
Credit Line: Gift of George and Sarah Corbin, 2017
Object Number: 2017.682.3
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

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