Singarin Spirit Figure

Provenance: Provenance:
Sold Sotheby’s London 21-06-1979, lot 6 (illustrated)
Mrs G.H.A. ten Brinke & Frans Dewit, Haarlem (probably acquired at the above auction)
Galerie Lemaire, Amsterdam, sold by order of descendants of above (2024)

Literature: See other examples in the collection of Mr. & Mrs. Simonis, Germany and acquired from Loed van Bussel (ex St. Paul Mission Wengerohr/Wittlich) N° L.1/3 Neu-Guinea; N°1978.412.722 formerly in the Wolfgang Paalen collection now in the Metropolitain Museum of Art New York and two others N° 71.1962.1.20 and 71.1961.103.322 collected on the La Korrigane expedition between 1934 & 1936  one of which is described as “named Loran or known as a loran figure…representing a spirit and used during initiation ceremonies”; and one offered by Galerie Meyer at TEFAF 2009 from the collection of Rektor Ehmer, Ethnologisch-naturkundliche Sammlung im Missionshaus Sankt Paul, Wengerohr/Wittlich, Germany circa 1922.


Ulitamano is the vernacular name used by Kevin Conru in his book Sepik Ramu Art of 2019. The Korrigane expedition reports Loran as the name, or identifier, from the village of Magendo (Magondo) situated to the West of Angoram Village.
Ref. : Conru, Kevin (ed.) : Sepik Ramu Art. Conru Editions, Bruxelles, 2019