Figure

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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

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About this Work

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
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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
"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