Figure Representing a Mythical Woman
| Culture | Ewa |
|---|---|
| Title | Figure Representing a Mythical Woman |
| Date | 16th–19th century |
| Medium | Wood and fiber |
| Dimensions | Object: 37 3/4 × 6 × 5 5/16 in. (95.9 × 15.2 × 13.5 cm) Overall (includes mount): 38 15/16 × 7 1/4 × 6 in. (98.9 × 18.4 × 15.2 cm) |
| Credit Line | Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 80.33 |
| This artwork is currently off display. You may be able to see this artwork by filling out an art viewing room request. | |
Female figures created by the Ewa peoples tend to be more naturalistic than their male counterparts while remaining thin and elongated. These figures are thought to represent ancestors, clan founders, or ancient ancestors who established the human world and who exist in a realm parallel to our own. As is typical, this figure has relief incisions on its abdomen that represents both the navel and the figure’s internal organs.
Such figures were created primarily between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries and were displayed within rock-shelters where the entire community could see them.
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 Representing a Mythical Woman | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=80.33