This is a wooden sago platter carved by the Asmat cultural group of Papua New Guinea during the late twentieth century. It features an oblong decorated platter capped with a handle decorated in the image of a human head. The main body is carved with symmetrical geometric designs commonly found in Asmat art of this type, with inset portions painted in variations of red, white, and black pigments. The upper and lower portions of the piece have suffered an erosion of their original white paint, leaving a layer of patina buildup present. The handle itself is decorated with a protruding chin, shallow eyes, and wide mouth. The eyes and mouth are painted in red, while the face structure is painted in a worn white. The chin and top of the head are painted black, and the nose remains unpainted. The head features a close-cropped hairstyle and detailed ears.
Colors in Asmat culture are widely considered to have magical properties associated with them. White is called mbi and is created from the crushing and burning of river mussel shells. Red pigments are called wasah and are created from the mixing of clays from riverbeds, forming a deep rust color. Different combinations of color denote different ideas within Asmat society such as strength, fertility, and mysticism.
Sago platters form a staple of Asmat ethnographic art and are important in understanding Asmat cultural history. Prior to the intervention of outside missionaries in the late twentieth century, platters would commonly have been used in the ritual of headhunting. In headhunting rituals, slain enemy brains would be served at ceremonial occasions within the community house, the jeu. After this practice had been phased out, Capricorn beetles and roasted sago palm supplanted the function of platters such as this. Many are often also repurposed later in their lives as paint mixture basins, evident by the large amounts of white mbi residue on the hollowed surfaces.
Colors: White, Red, Black, Brown