Folk and Outsider Art Collection

 

Artist

Maker Unknown

Nationality

Oceanic

Preview

image preview

Date of Work

19th c.

Medium

Wood with traces of paint and lime

Height

42 1/2"

Width

8 1/2"

Depth

1 1/4"

Collection/Provenance

Art & Design Study Collection, James Smith Pierce Collection

Status

Stored: WS_09, Box 3D14

Location

UND Art Collections Repository

Additional Information

Bullroarer board. Origin: Papua New Guinea

Ancient musical instruments

Long wooden paddle shaped object, red, black and white with ancestral figure at its center. Bullroarers, found throughout New Guinea, use the boards in sacred ceremonial practices to re-create voices of the spirits. The board would be attached to a rope through the hole, and swung in circles above the bullroarer, creating a thunderous noise in the air. Also used as a form of communication across distance.

James Smith Pierce Collection

Condition

Good

Condition Notes

Chip at bottom

Rights

Images are provided for educational purposes only and may not be reproduced for commercial use. Images may be protected by artist copyright. A credit line is required to be used for any public non-commercial educational purpose. The credit line must include, “Image courtesy of the University of North Dakota.”

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