Mid C20 WW11 era.
Two fine rare examples of Admiralty Melanesian male & female free standing marriage sculpture. Both figures display strong characteristics of the superb war charm talisman & bed post figures from this culture.
The male figure retains white, black and red decorative pigments. Female figure is unpainted.  Sculpture such as these pair were  made from a special wood that signifies the strength and endurance of the marriage & were made for important feasts to be displayed outside meeting houses.

Height: 35cm (13.75 inches) & 33cm (13 inches)
US $850 each

The Admiralty Islands Manus Province Papua New Guinea, a group of more than twenty islets with approximately 25,000 inhabitants, lie north of New Guinea in the southwest Pacific. Among the different artefacts of Melanesia, the objects from the Admiralty Islands form an independent group which can be clearly identified. It is only here that one can find the typical large wooden bowls with carved spirals as handles, the feathered war charm nape ornaments, and the aprons of snail shell discs, bark baskets and feathers designed for ceremonial presentations.