Funerary mask (E546)

Northern New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. Wood, shell, hardwood spikes, rattan twine, lime, red ochre, black paint, coconut husk - Men wore these masks during funerary ceremonies in Northern New Ireland. Many of the masks feature's depict death: the lime paste and spikes resemble an old man's white hair, the shell-bead eyes bulge from the rest of the head, and the snake above them represents death.