Figure for a Sacred Flute
| Culture | Biwat |
|---|---|
| Title | Figure for a Sacred Flute (Wusear) |
| Date | 1900–1920 |
| Medium | Wood, shells, boar tusks, human hair, cassowary feathers, fiber, and and pigment |
| Dimensions | Object (height of figure): 13 3/4 × 10 1/4 × 6 1/4 in. (34.9 × 26 × 15.9 cm) Overall (includes mount): 21 7/8 × 10 1/4 × 6 5/8 in. (55.6 × 26 × 16.8 cm) |
| Credit Line | Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 75.53 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
A carved figure with a very large head, arms hanging down at the sides, knees slightly bent, prominent male genetalia, and its feet standing on a narrow post. In addition to the carved wood there are other materials including pigment on the face and additional elements of shell, stone, tusks, human hair, feathers, and fiber.
Carved to be placed in the end of a sacred flute, this figure is characteristic of Biwat figural style, which depicts idealized aspects of the male form. The added ornamentation—the tusk through the septum, the shell and fiber earrings, the feathers on the head, and the face painting—is realistic, showing how traditionally a man might decorate himself. That these elements, as well as the human hair attached to the head, chin, and genital area, have survived is notable: added materials on many other figures are missing.
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 for a Sacred Flute | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=75.53