ticketsMember | Make a donation

Female Figure

16th–19th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 354
The ancient wood sculptures of the Inyai-Ewa and neighboring groups of the upper Korewori River, a southern tributary of the Sepik, are the earliest Melanesian woodcarvings to survive in any substantial numbers. Kept in rock shelters, which protected them from the elements, the figures were primarily created between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. They occur in several forms and portray a variety of supernatural beings. Broad, flat female images are, at times, identified as representations of two primordial sisters who helped to shape the world or as the female ancestors or founders of
particular clans. Two-legged male figures also likely portray primordial clan ancestors. The most abundant Inyai-Ewa carvings are the one-legged male figures, known as aripa. Kept in the men’s ceremonial house during the owner’s life and placed in a rock shelter as a memorial after his death, aripa represented spirits that resided within the images and served as hunting helpers, aiding in the capture of game such as wild pigs and cassowaries (large ostrich-like birds).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Female Figure
  • Date: 16th–19th century
  • Geography: Papua New Guinea, Middle Sepik, Korewori River
  • Culture: Inyai-Ewa people
  • Medium: Wood
  • Dimensions: H. 67 in. × W. 16 1/2 in. × D. 5 in. (170.2 × 41.9 × 12.7 cm)
    Other: 16 in. × 2 1/2 in. (40.6 × 6.4 cm)
    D. 9 in with mount
  • Classification: Wood-Sculpture
  • Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1965
  • Object Number: 1978.412.857
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

Audio

Cover Image for 1752. Female Figure

1752. Female Figure

0:00
0:00
We're sorry, the transcript for this audio track is not available at this time. Please email info@metmuseum.org to request a transcript for this track.

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
House-post Figure, Wood, paint, fiber, Kambot people
House-post Figure
Kambot people
19th century
Skull Hook (Agiba), Wood, paint, plant fiber, Kerewa people
Skull Hook (Agiba)
Kerewa people
19th–early 20th century
Mask (eharo), Barkcloth, cane, paint, fiber, Elema people
Mask (eharo)
Elema people
Early 20th century
Bird Head, Greenstone, ocher, Morobe province
Bird Head
Morobe province
Date unknown
Funerary Figure (Kulap), Chalk, paint, Southern New Ireland
Funerary Figure (Kulap)
Southern New Ireland
late 19th century

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.