Male Figure
- Culture
- Kanak artist
- Date
- 19th century
- Material
- Wood, resin
- from
- New Caledonia, France, Oceania
- Classification
- Sculpture, wood
- Collection
- Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 106
- Dimensions
- 20 1/4 x 5 1/2 x 4 1/8 in. (51.5 x 14 x 10.5 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Morton D. May
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 76:1977
NOTES
A deep sheen accentuates the dynamic, fluid volumes of this male figure. The substance creating this shiny surface was obtained by heating a resin from a coniferous tree mixed with vegetal oil, yielding a pitch used to coat a finished sculpture. The figure was placed before a grand chief’s house on the occasion of major exchanges of food and goods that renewed alliances between the clans.
Provenance
- 1973
Maurice Bonnefoy (1920-1999), Paris, France
1973 - 1977
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, USA, purchased from Maurice Bonnefoy [1]
1977 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Morton D. May [2]
Notes:
[1] An invoice dated October 23, 1973 from Maurice Bonnefoy to Morton D. May documents the purchase of this object, listed as "#1126 / Spirit figure; wood, dark brown patina; New Caledonia [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[2] A letter dated March 1, 1977 from Morton D. May to James N. Wood, 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, April 14, 1977.
Maurice Bonnefoy (1920-1999), Paris, France
1973 - 1977
Morton D. May (1914-1983), St. Louis, MO, USA, purchased from Maurice Bonnefoy [1]
1977 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Morton D. May [2]
Notes:
[1] An invoice dated October 23, 1973 from Maurice Bonnefoy to Morton D. May documents the purchase of this object, listed as "#1126 / Spirit figure; wood, dark brown patina; New Caledonia [May Archives, Saint Louis Art Museum].
[2] A letter dated March 1, 1977 from Morton D. May to James N. Wood, 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, April 14, 1977.
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