Figural element of a "malagan" frieze ·  Papua New Guinea - Bismarck Archipelago - New Ireland · ID: 3053728

Description

wood, pigments, shell inlay,

The upright male figure grasps an arched frame and wears a “kapkap”, a prestigious shell ornament, on his chest. Comparable figures formed the centre of larger friezes framed by stylised birds and wings. Such friezes decorated the temporary display houses in which “malagan” carvings were publicly exhibited during the concluding funerary ceremonies.

Comparing literature

Krämer, Augustin, Die Málanggane von Tombára, München 1925, p. 42