Lot 143

New Guinea Asmat Palmwood Bow & Six Cane Hunting Arrows

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New Guinea Asmat Palmwood Bow & Six Cane Hunting Arrows

Estimate: $600 - $900

Starting Bid: $250

(0 Bids)

by Artemis Fine Arts
August 7, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Melanesia, New Guinea, Asmat people, ca. mid to late 20th century CE. A hunter's set from the forests of southwestern New Guinea, comprising a two palmwood bows paired with six slender arrows. The arrows combine lightweight cane shafts with hardwood foreshafts, several bound with fiber lashings and bands of pigment near the nock and head. The foreshafts are variously pointed and barbed, configured for spearing fish, birds, and small game across river and tidal channels. Among the Asmat, bow and arrow served daily subsistence as well as the prestige economy of skilled hunting, the weapons crafted by hand without metal tooling. Size of longer bow: 59" L x 1.3" W (149.9 cm L x 3.3 cm W).

Provenance: private Park City, Utah, USA collection; Ex-Private Chicago, Illinois, USA collection

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Item # 201613

  • Condition: Missing bowstring on longer bow. Losses and and fraying to lashings on some arrows.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000