Monumental Iatmul Water Drum, East Sepik Province, Middle Sepik River, Papua New Guineaheight 56 7/8in (144.5cm)ProvenanceRheinische Mission, Papua New GuineaCollection Barmen Wuppertal Van Heyt, Germany, acquired in 1910 Wayne Heathcote, London and New YorkAmerican Private Collection, acquired from the above in 1993The Rheinische Mission in Friedrich-Wilhelm-Hafen on New Guinea (German colony Kaiser-Wilhelmsland) was represented beginning in 1887.Of hard, dense wood, most likely carved without the use of metal tools, with a large male figure of elongated proportions with an incised carving on his chest; the drum behind the figure in the form of a hand drum, or kundu, but it is clearly much too heavy for this purpose; encrusted dark brown patina.