Lintel
Artist Unidentified, Pacific Islander
19th–20th century
Object PlaceTolembi Village, Papua New Guinea
Medium/TechniqueWood, pigment, fibers
DimensionsOverall: 38.1 x 121.9cm (15 x 48in.)
Credit LineGift of William E. and Bertha L. Teel
Accession number1992.406
On View
On viewClassificationsArchitectural elements
Collections
On the Sepik River, large ceremonial houses called tamberans were built for men's initiations, secret ceremonies, and other male gatherings held apart from the rest of the community. Tamberans were decorated inside and out with paintings and carvings depicting ancestors and clan totems. On this lintel, the central figure represents a clan ancestor, the crocodile and boar heads at either end are animal totems, and the eight headless figures depict head-hunting victims slain on raids made by the clan.
ProvenanceAfter 1964, removed from a ceremonial men’s house, Tolembi, Papua New Guinea [see note]. 1981, sale, Sotheby’s, London. May 21, 1986, sold by Wayne Heathcote (dealer), New York, to William and Bertha Teel, Marblehead, MA; 1992, gift of William and Bertha Teel to the MFA. (Accession Date: September 23, 1992)NOTE: Photographed in situ by Swiss scholar Alfred Bühler in 1959 and American scholar and curator Douglas Newton in 1964.
