Seated Female Figure
| Culture | Asmat |
|---|---|
| Title | Seated Female Figure |
| Date | Before 1913 |
| Medium | Wood, pigment, seeds, and and fiber |
| Dimensions | Object: 22 1/2 × 6 1/2 × 5 7/8 in. (57.2 × 16.5 × 14.9 cm) Overall (includes mount): 23 3/4 × 7 1/4 × 7 3/8 in. (60.3 × 18.4 × 18.7 cm) |
| Credit Line | Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 2010.10 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
A carved female figure, seated or squatting with its arms bent and raised, the wrists joined at a knot in front of the chin (like clasped hands). The figure is incised with lines and patterns, including deep incisions running down the sides of the arms and legs, and a chevron-like shape above the left breast.
Commemorative figures such as this distinctive carving typically honor important ancestors and were commissioned from a master woodcarver, usually by a family member. This figure’s dramatic elbows-to-knees and hands-to-chin pose is frequently seen in Asmat art and has many references: it can represent the posture of birth and death, symbolize head-hunting practices, and connect to Asmat creation beliefs.
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
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Cite this page
"Seated Female Figure | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=2010.10