Skip to Main Content

Ancestral Tablet

c. 1940
painted wood
Overall: 126.7 x 20.3 cm (49 7/8 x 8 in.)
Gift of The May Company, Cleveland 1963.555
Location: not on view
This artwork is known to be under copyright.

Download, Print and Share

Description

Ancestral tablets are among the sacred objects stored in the ceremonial houses of the Papuan Gulf. Some are owned collectively, by clans, while others are the property of individuals. The tablets are used in the consecration of ceremonial houses and canoes, or in the initiation of children.
Ancestral Tablet

Ancestral Tablet

c. 1940

Melanesia, Papua New Guinea, Papuan Gulf, Era River region, 20th century

See Also

Visually Similar Artworks

Contact us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.