Ceremonial paddle decorated with a double Kokorra spirit - Lot 55

Ceremonial paddle decorated with a double Kokorra spirit Nissan, Green Islands, Province of Bougainville, Solomon Islands Wood and pigments H. 123 cm Beautiful club from the Solomon Islands, featuring a janiform face with large round eyes and a high headdress with pointed motifs. The torso is adorned with geometric motifs and the whole composition is decorated with red and black pigments. The figure represented is known as Kokorra. He is a powerful spirit associated with the region's male secret societies and mask traditions. According to Richard Parkinson (Dreissig Jahre in der Südsee, 1907, p. 493), "some clubs are decorated with carefully carved relief [...]. From time to time, clubs are seen in the hands of chiefs, and are highly prized. [...] They are worn by their owner as a sign of social status or as a ceremonial weapon". Condition report: Some cracks on the blade, surface scratches, old breaks at the tips of the spikes located at the level of the figure's torso.