Yipwon Spirit Figure

Yipwon Spirit Figure

mid 1800s
Culture
Korewori River
Locale
Korewori River Middle Sepik River Region Melanesia
Country
Papua New Guinea
Object
figure, spirit
Medium
cowrie shells and pigment on wood
Accession Number
2001.157
Credit Line
Gift of Joan and George Anderman

Korewori River artist, Yipwon Spirit Figure, mid 1800s. Cowrie shells and pigment on wood; 94 7/8 x 11 ½ x 7 in. Denver Art Museum: Gift of Joan and George Anderman, 2001.157

Dimensions
height: 94 7/8 in, 240.9825 cm; width: 11 1/2 in, 29.21 cm; depth: 7 in, 17.7800 cm
Inscription
"1985.056" on proper left side of foot
Department
Native Arts
Collection
Arts of Oceania
The tall, carved figure is from the Korewori River region of New Guinea. The artist has simplified the human figure into a series of projecting, hooklike shapes. The head features a beard terminating in a sharp point. Above the head, a cap with a comblike tassel curves forward to protect the entire sculptural framework. In the torso area, semicircular shapes carved in concentric patterns surround and protect a jagged phallic projection. The figure, carved from a single piece of wood, is probably an abstract representation of a hunting spirit.
Exhibition History
  • "Giants of Melanesia: Monumental Art from the South Pacific"—Denver Art Museum, 3/3/2001 - 9/30/2001

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