Puppet head (Temes Nevimbur)
Artist Unidentified, Pacific Islander
20th century, 1950–2000
Object PlaceVanuatu
Medium/TechniqueWood, plant fibers, pigment
DimensionsOverall: 48 x 11 x 10 cm (18 7/8 x 4 5/16 x 3 15/16 in.)
Credit LineGift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession number2009.2668
On View
Not on viewClassificationsSculpture
Collections
At times of important rituals, members of secret societies, such as nevimbur of central Vanuatu, animated these types of puppet heads from behind the community's dancing-ground fence. Many of these ceremonies celebrated the attainment of higher status within the social and religious organizations known as "grade-taking" societies. Merit rather than birth determines grade or rank within such societies.
Provenance1948, sold by Galerie Carrefour, Paris, to Geneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge, MA; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)
Artist Unidentified, Pacific Islander
early to mid-20th century
