Collected by Consul Theodor Weber (1844–1889), Hamburg, gift 1888 to; Museum für Völkerkunde, Leipzig (ME 10259), deaccessioned in 1975. Wayne Heathcote (b. 1943), New York, NY, sold to; Masco Corporation Collection, Livonia, MI, sold 2008 through; [Sotheby’s, New York, to]; LACMA.

Gallery Label
This murua, or mask, of human and animal figures consists of three sections joined together in a complex form. The intricately carved and painted figures represent characters in local legends and history, or possibly ancestors. The central head has a gaping mouth in the grimacing style common in such objects from New Ireland. The standing figure above it is designed with a fish and snake design winding down, with additional surrounding birds and fish. The entire murua is made of lightweight wood that is carved and then painted with red, black, and white pigments.

New Ireland’s unique social construction, known as malanggan, dictated most social procedures and art within the culture. Malanggan was an extended funerary and ceremonial gathering that took years of planning and preparation. The malanggan rites were primarily associated with funerals for multiple individuals that are often paired with the initiation ceremonies of young boys. Preparation began with individuals and families gathering pigs and other displays of wealth for the ceremonies’ feasts and dances. The production of the various types and styles of sculptures and masks for the malanggan also began in the months leading up to the rituals. The entire community was involved with the performances and feasts that were meant to complete the transition of the deceased into the spirit world. A performer wore the mask during the intricate and involved malanggan proceedings that govern society in New Ireland. Malanggan ceremonies also were places at which to solidify social relationships and gain social status through displays of wealth, including pigs and the quality of the malanggan carvings. This murua mask was worn at the end of the ceremony to clear the ceremonial grounds and village of taboos.

Another example of a malanggan mask is the tatanua which has been in LACMA’s collection since the early 1970s.