Memorial Figure
| Culture | Northern Madak |
|---|---|
| Title | Memorial Figure (Uli) |
| Date | Before 1908 |
| Medium | Wood, lime, pigment, shell, sea-snail operculum, and and fiber |
| Dimensions | Overall (includes mount): 55 1/2 × 19 3/8 × 12 in. (141 × 49.2 × 30.5 cm) |
| Credit Line | Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 91.498 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
A carved wooden figure, with prominet breasts and male gentalia, painted with red, white, and black pigments. The figure stands on short legs, its arms bent, and a rectangular bar connects the wrists across the torso.
Powerful and enigmatic, the commemorative figures from New Ireland known as uli have attracted the attention of Westerners from the time they began arriving in Europe at the end of the nineteenth century. Uli were viewed at male rites concluding funerary celebrations that took place during the year following the death a leader. This figure is larger and more robust than many, but its form and features are typical of the genre, which is characterized by a large head, stocky body, and short, powerful legs. The oversized hooked nose and wide grimacing mouth with pointed teeth add to the menacing expression.
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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"Memorial 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=91.498