Commemorative Figure

Browse the collection

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

Share this artwork!

About this Work

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
More Details

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.

Viewing Information
This artwork is currently on view.

Request this Image
The Eskenazi Museum of Art provides images of its collection, free of charge, upon request. This artwork is under copyright protection. You can request the image and it will be emailed to you when the request is complete.

Cite this Page
"Commemorative Figure | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2024. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=2010.11