Kandimbong ancestor figure – Sepik River Delta – Papua New Guinea – 20th century – detail photograph
Kandimbong ancestor figure – Sepik River Delta – Papua New Guinea – 20th century – detail photograph
Kandimbong ancestor figure – Sepik River Delta – Papua New Guinea – 20th century – detail photograph
Kandimbong ancestor figure – Sepik River Delta – Papua New Guinea – 20th century – detail photograph
Kandimbong ancestor figure – Sepik River Delta – Papua New Guinea – 20th century – detail photograph
Kandimbong ancestor figure – Sepik River Delta – Papua New Guinea – 20th century – detail photograph
Kandimbong ancestor figure – Sepik River Delta – Papua New Guinea – 20th century – detail photograph
Kandimbong ancestor figure – Sepik River Delta – Papua New Guinea – 20th century – detail photograph
Kandimbong ancestor figure – Sepik River Delta – Papua New Guinea – 20th century – detail photograph

Kandimbong ancestor figure – Sepik River Delta – Papua New Guinea – 20th century

€595,00

SKU: 768 Categories: ,

Description

Seated Kandimbong ancestor figure from the Sepik River Delta in Papua New Guinea, carved from wood and featuring shell eyes and black and white painting with red accents.

Description
The figure is shown seated on a round, integrally carved base. The greatly enlarged head has a long, forward-projecting nose and inlaid shell eyes. The face is painted with white and black pigments in strong curved motifs. Red accents are visible around the mouth, arms, legs and on the back, among other places.

The long arms come together in front of the body and the bent legs give the figure a compact, dynamic posture. The dark surface paint shows scattered wear, making the underlying wood visible in places.

Origin & meaning
Kandimbong is the term for anthropomorphic figures from the Lower Sepik and Sepik River Delta region. They could represent important clan ancestors, clan founders, identified deceased individuals, or mythical culture heroes. Larger Kandimbong figures could play a role in initiations and other ceremonial events, and were kept in men's houses.

Dimensions & condition
Height 38 cm, width 11 cm, depth 12 cm.
Good condition with signs of age and use. The black, white and red painting shows local wear and pigment loss. The shell eyes are present.

Product photographs show the object on offer exactly as photographed. Any interior images are AI-generated impressions, included solely to illustrate scale and presentation.

Additional information

Weight 0,912 kg
Dimensions 12 × 11 × 38 cm

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