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Female Figure

Origin Tuvalu
Title Female Figure
Date Unknown
Medium Wood and shell
Dimensions Object: 14 7/8 × 6 11/16 × 6 3/16 in. (37.8 × 17 × 15.7 cm)
Overall: 14 7/8 x 6 11/16 x 6 3/16 in. (37.8 x 17 x 15.7 cm)
Credit Line Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 68.214

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About this Work

Little is known about this figure, which is attributed to Tuvalu, formerly Ellice Islands. Tuvalu is geographically part of the South Pacific region known as Micronesia, but culturally is related to the neighboring region of Polynesia. Though free-standing figures are not common in Micronesia, they were abundant in Polynesia, where they usually represented gods and the spirits of ancestors.

The simplified form connects the figure to the sculpture of the Polynesian outlier Nukuoro in the Caroline Islands. The clearly delineated pubic triangle, even without the indication of breasts, identifies this figure as female and is a convention found in other Micronesian sculpture.


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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"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=68.214