Commemorative Figure
| Origin | Sepik River |
|---|---|
| Title | Commemorative Figure |
| Date | Before 1908 |
| Medium | Wood, pigment, and and fiber |
| Dimensions | Object: 79 1/2 × 11 3/4 × 12 5/8 in. (201.9 × 29.8 × 32.1 cm) Overall (includes mount): 81 1/4 × 13 3/4 × 12 in. (206.4 × 34.9 × 30.5 cm) |
| Credit Line | Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 2010.11 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
A standing, carved figure, with short legs and a long torso, and arms hanging at its sides. There are patterns in low relief at the figure's head, shoulders, and upper torso, as well as in a vertical line running down the torso.
This remarkably powerful figure is part of a broad tradition of commemorative figures produced by various peoples in the lower Sepik River area of Papua New Guinea. It was made to honor an ancestor, probably the founder of a lineage or a mythological ancestral hero. Its looming, formidable presence was a physical reminder of the importance of that ancestor. Kept inside a men’s house, the figure was displayed at rites intended to invoke the help of the spirits of deceased community members for the benefit of the living.
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
"Commemorative 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=2010.11