Male Ancestor Figure (before 1930): Art, History and Details
Male Ancestor Figure at the Cleveland Museum of Art: before 1930, limestone. Explore the work's context, creator attribution and collection history.
Male Ancestor Figure (before 1930) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.
The work and its context
The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:
Carved and painted chalk figures from New Ireland served as repositories for the spirits of deceased men and women during funeral rituals. After the ceremony, the figures were destroyed or discarded, allowing the spirits to join their ancestors.
Object facts
- Title: Male Ancestor Figure
- Date: before 1930
- Culture: Melanesia, Central New Ireland, Namatani District, 20th century
- Type: Sculpture
- Technique: limestone
- Dimensions: Overall: 28 cm (11 in.)
- Collection: Oceanic Art
- Department: Oceania
- Accession number: 1971.151
Collection credit
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Munro
View the collection record
See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.
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