Big male ancestor figure ·  Papua New Guinea - Wosera · ID: 3032583

Description

wood, yellow ochre, white, red and black pigment, carrying a big hornbill on the head, the body ornamentally painted with lattice patterns and breast ornament, nice detail: carved with the handle of a knife, which the Sepik men used to wear stuck into the armrings, slightly dam., minor missing parts, cracks, on metal plate;
the Wosera are referred to in the literature as the “southern Abelam”, and the two groups have definite cultural and artistic links. While the Abelam usually carve with very little depth, the Wosera, on the other hand, have a highly developed sense of plastic form. The ancestor figures - just like the skulls - encorporate the deceased. The head as abode of vital force is disproportionately emphasized.

Publications

Exhibition

Travelling Exhibition "Arts of New Guinea", 1964/65: Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Municipal Art Gallery Los Angeles, Seattle Art Museum, Portland Art Museum