Male Figure

Culture: Ramu-Lower Sepik artist
Date: probably 20th century
Material: Wood, red ochre, shell, bark, beads, manufactured cloth, and fiber
from: East Sepik province, Papua New Guinea, Oceania
Classification: Sculpture, wood
Collection: Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
Current Location: Not on view
Dimensions: approximate: 72 13/16 x 10 5/8 x 10 5/8 in. (185 x 27 x 27 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Morton D. May
Rights: Public Domain
Object Number: 155:1975

NOTES

From the slanting aspect of the eyes, the shape of the nose, and the general contours of the face, we can attribute this figure to the Lower Sepik–Lower Ramu region. It was carved from one piece of wood by a sculptor using a steel tool, most likely an adze. Marks of scarification are shown around the navel, on the shoulder blades, and upper chest. The markings at the back of the neck, and down the backbone may represent an image belonging to the man’s life force. On the backbone this image takes the form of an animal. This male figure was probably made to represent someone who had recently died, perhaps the boss of a men’s house or the leader of a clan.

Provenance

- 1964
Carlebach Gallery, Inc., New York, NY, USA

1964 - 1975
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, purchased from Carlebach Gallery, Inc. [1]

1975 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Morton D. May [2]

Notes:
[1] An invoice dated October 12, 1964 from Carlbeach Gallery, Inc. to Morton D. May documents the purchase, listed as "28320 / Wooden Figure, Sepik River, 5'10" / (Covered With Necklaces)" [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].

[2] A letter dated August 14, 1975 from Morton D. May to Mary-Edgar Patton, acting director of the Saint Louis Art Museum, includes the offer of this object as part of a larger donation [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Acquisitions Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, November 6, 1975.

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