Early Century Wood

Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century


Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century

Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century   Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century
Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar - NEW GUINEA - Late 19th/Early 20th Century. Old and antique wood carved figural Betel Nut Mortar from the Sepik River area of Papua New Guinea, Two figures, back to back, supporting the Betel bowl on their head. Typical long faces with hook nose. One old chip on base, otherwise good condition. Edge of bowl worn down from use.

Nice reddish-brown ocre patina (see photographs for condition). Stands upright on it's integral base, no stand needed.

A small, yet powerful piece. Peoples throughout the Sepik region use betel nut, the fruit of the areca palm, which is chewed with lime made from burnt shells or coral and other substances to produce a mild stimulant effect. Sepik peoples create a variety of betel nut chewing accessories. The cup-like object seen here is a betel nut mortar, used by individuals who have lost their teeth to aid in chewing betel nut.

When chewing, the individual periodically places the nut and a small quantity of lime in the mortar and crushes it with a pestle to release the active ingredients before placing it back in the mouth. Some betel nut mortars, carried by male elders, served as marks of secular and religious authority. Often adorned with images of spirits, ancestors, or other supernatural beings, some also had magical properties.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 5.75 Inches Tall 3.5 Inches Wide. See my other auctions for fine antiquities, Asian art and ethnographic curiosities from around the world.


Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century   Antique Sepik River Betel Nut Mortar NEW GUINEA Late 19th/Early 20th Century