Figure
| Culture | Tami Islands |
|---|---|
| Title | Figure |
| Date | Before 1900 |
| Medium | Wood and pigment |
| Dimensions | Object: 33 1/4 × 5 5/16 × 5 3/4 in. (84.5 × 13.5 × 14.6 cm) Overall: 33 1/4 × 5 5/16 × 5 3/4 in. (84.5 × 13.5 × 14.6 cm) |
| Credit Line | Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Henry R. Hope, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 74.29.1 |
| This artwork is currently off display. You may be able to see this artwork by filling out an art viewing room request. | |
A wooden post form which has been carved into a seated or crouching stylized human figure wearing a conical headdress. The figure is decorated with incised linear patterns with surfaces colored with white, red and black pigments.
Similar to carved support beams used within the Tami Islands, this smaller figure is most likely a representation of an ancestor or spirit, though very little is known about its function or meaning. The majority of these figures, both male and female, were collected from men’s ceremonial houses, suggesting a ceremonial function and a connection to ancestors.
This figure is typical of the Tami Islands style with its rectilinear lines, head set directly into the torso, and with a decorative headdress at the top.
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.
January 27–March 17, 1991, "A Wonderful Discernment: Selections from the Hope Collection," Indiana University Art Museum, Bloomington, IN
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Cite this page
"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=74.29.1