Ritual carving
Abelam, Papua-Neuguinea
wood, post-shaped sculpture, a plug-shaped base, carved with a stylized human face with tubular protruding eyes and a pierced, bow-shaped nose, crowned by a massive birds sculpture, presumably depicting a cockatoo, painted with black and white pigment, red and yellow ochre, the contours accentuated by a dotted pattern, flattened on the back, slightly dam., cracks, on base; architectural ornament, presumably once attached to a ritual house.
H: 1,33 m

Lit.: Aumann, Georg, Kunst und Kunsthandwerk aus Neu Guinea, Ausst.kat. Natur-Museum Coburg 1986, p. 36 f.