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Spirit carving, C-14 dating: 18th–19th century (inconclusive % probability)
Wood, pigment
250 x 28 x 25 cm (98 7/16 x 11 x 9 13/16 in.)
The Marcia and John Friede Collection, a Promised Gift to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco L05.1.90

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Artist Biography: (none) PROVENANCE: Jolika Collection of New Guinea Art PUBLICATIONS: 2005 - "Anthony Forge stated that this figure's opposed-hook style was abandoned in eastern Abelam around 1900 and replace by an anthropomorphic style which may have come from the west (in Lutkehaus et al. 1990: 164). It is possible that this earlier hook design was related to the widespread Sepik hook style described in the entry for pl. 285. An unusual aspect of this piece is that the pattern to be painted (for instance, the alternating lines of black, white, yellow, and red on the arms and shoulders) was also carved into the wood before pigment was applied. Although created in pre-contact times, the last time the figure was painted was probably in the 1950s after the Assembly of god missionaries established a mission and school in nearby Wingei village. The blue school chalk that is part of its coloring quickly became a valued addition to the pallette of Abelam artists (Noel Mc Guigan, personal communication). See Koch, 1968, figs. 48-50, and Haberland, 1965, figs. 17-18, for comparable figures from Roma village in the Museum für Völkerkunde, Berlin. There is also a related figure in the Papua New Guinea National Museum that also has the blue pigment and another in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, donated by Mr. and Mrs. Cedric Marks." (Catalog #292, New Guinea Art: Masterpieces from the Jolika Collection of Marcia and John Friede, 2005, Volume 2, p. 130.)

Related Keywords
carving Spirit Francisco San Museums Arts Fine Gift Promised Friede John Marcia Art Jolika people Abelam southeastern Oceania Province Sepik East Guinea New Sculpture pigment Wood 0709200406050378 A361005 L05.1.90 AOA