An Asmat Bis Pole

Papua New Guinea, 20th Century

Height 83 1/2 inches (212 cm).

Property being sold to benefit the Mission and Vision of the Couse-Sharp Historic Site, Taos, New Mexico - Bringing the Legacy of Taos to Life

This lot is located in Chicago.

Provenance:

The Milton (1932-2011) and Adele Ward Collection, New York, acquired in Indonesia in the 1970s.

Bequeathed to the Couse Foundation in 2019.

Beginning in 1974, the collector/s traveled to Tembagapura, a district in Mimika, province of Papua, New Guinea, one of the sites of the Freeport-Indonesia Minerals Company. Tembagapura is an urban village built to support the Ertsberg copper mine and Grasberg gold mine. Asmat carvers brought their pieces to Tembagapura, where their art was displayed on a table in a shed and an expatriate acted as agent, taking care of sales to collectors. Milton was president of Freeport McMoran, Indonesia when these pieces were acquired.

To request further details about this lot, please email [email protected]

Please contact the Auction Specialist for details.

Sam Cowan

Associate Vice President, Head of Sale, Interiors Interiors

[email protected]312 280 1212

Sam Cowan is the Associate Vice President, Head of Sale, Interiors
Interiors by Freeman's.

Sam has spent his life in the auction industry, accompanying his father, Wes Cowan to auctions, trade shows and eventually to his own eponymous auction house, in the mid-1990s. He joined his father’s auction house, Cowan’s, full-time in 2012 in the Arms and Armor department and as a fine and decorative arts specialist, a department where he would ultimately become director. Sam has an interest in 20th century design, pottery, early advertising, historic Americana and antique firearms. He is a licensed auctioneer in three states and is a featured appraiser on The Antiques Roadshow.

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An Asmat Bis Pole

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