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Ancestral Figure
1800s
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
In the Sepik River region, village social and ceremonial life centers on the men's house. Ritual objects such as slit gongs, orators' stools, and flutes are stored there; the most sacred objects are kept hidden from women and children. Carved wooden figures, which probably represent ancestors, were preserved in the men's houses.
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Details
- Title: Ancestral Figure
- Date Created: 1800s
- Physical Dimensions: Overall: 105.4 x 12.2 x 12.8 cm (41 1/2 x 4 13/16 x 5 1/16 in.)
- Type: Sculpture
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1971.150
- Medium: painted wood with fiber and tapa cloth
- Department: Oceania
- Culture: Melanesia, Papua New Guinea, Sepik River region, 19th century
- Credit Line: Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Munro
- Collection: Oceanic Art
- Accession Number: 1971.150
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