Lot 383

Papua New Guinea Highland Adze Pair, Boar Tusk Ornament

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Papua New Guinea Highland Adze Pair, Boar Tusk Ornament

Estimate: $800 - $1,200

Starting Bid: $400

(0 Bids)

by Artemis Fine Arts
July 30, 2026 8:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Melanesia, Papua New Guinea, Highlands, ca. mid-20th century CE. A pair of ground stone adze blades, each socketed into a sheath of tightly woven cotton and vegetal fiber cord. One is worked with bands of yellow-dyed cane and hung with a tassel of black boar bristle; the other bears a tuft of fluffy red fur and a pair of curved boar tusks. Both retain short braided carrying straps. In the New Guinea Highlands, hafted stone adzes served as everyday woodworking tools for felling trees, hollowing canoes, and shaping timber, but elaborately decorated examples like these also functioned as prestige and ceremonial objects, displayed and exchanged as markers of wealth and status. Size: 12" L x 2.5" W (30.5 cm L x 6.3 cm W).

Provenance: ex-David Zahler collection, acquired between 1975-2004

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Item # 203749

  • Condition: Some chips to the boar tusks, but otherwise intact.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $749 $25
$750 $1,499 $50
$1,500 $2,999 $100
$3,000 $7,499 $250
$7,500 $14,999 $500
$15,000 $29,999 $1,000
$30,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000