Male Figure
Board-like images are, or were, made in a number of areas of the Lower Sepik region. The body of this figure from the Keram River resembles the blade of a canoe paddle from whose surface a face, arms, and a phallus emerge to form a human image. This figure was almost certainly a sacred image portraying a powerful spirit or ancestor and was likely kept within the men’s ceremonial house of the village. The jaw line is embellished with cowrie shells, precious objects that served as ornaments and ceremonial currency. The figure appears to wear a headdress, adorned with cowrie shells and trimmed with the feathers of the cassowary, a large ostrich-like bird. The figure grasps a long cylindrical object, possibly representing a snake.
Artwork Details
- Title: Male Figure
- Date: 19th century or earlier
- Geography: Papua New Guinea, Lower Sepik, Keram River region
- Culture: Keram River region
- Medium: Wood, feathers, cowrie shells, fiber
- Dimensions: H. 70 in. (177.8 cm)
- Classification: Wood-Sculpture
- Credit Line: Gift of Evelyn A. J. Hall, 1981
- Object Number: 1981.415.7
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing
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19th century
19th–early 20th century
Early 20th century
Date unknown
late 19th century
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