Dagger Made Of Cassowary Or Human Bone; Asmat Culture, West Papua (irian Jaya), Indonesia

Carved bone (casuar or human, according to Jean-Pierre Dutilleux), plant fibers, organic materials.
Jean-Pierre Dutilleux Collection, assembled during fieldwork expeditions.
This specimen is reproduced in TRIBES – The First People, as well as in Aladin Antiquités (No. 451).

DESCRIPTION

Asmat ceremonial dagger carved from a long bone, identified by Jean-Pierre Dutilleux as possibly being of cassowary or human origin. This wording is intentionally retained in the book TRIBES – The First People, where the object is reproduced.

The blade, naturally tapered and slightly curved, features a finely polished antique surface revealing a beautiful patina from use. The handle is wrapped in a complex braid of plant fibers, adorned with pendants made of organic materials, giving the piece a particularly striking visual presence.

As emblematic objects of the Asmat’s warrior and ritual culture, these daggers served as symbols of prestige associated with courage, social status, and ancestral traditions. Exemplars with a field provenance documented by Jean-Pierre Dutilleux and a dual publication remain particularly sought after.

PROVENANCE AND PUBLICATION

Jean-Pierre Dutilleux Collection, assembled during ethnographic expeditions in West Papua.

Reproduced in the reference work *TRIBES – The First People*, where it is described as a “casuar or human bone dagger.”

Also reproduced in the journal Aladin Antiquités (No. 451), dedicated to the exhibition of the Jean-Pierre Dutilleux Collection.

Accompanied by a certificate from the representative of the Jean-Pierre Dutilleux Collection attesting to its provenance.

Asking Price

€4,800