The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
Carved Bowl
late 1900s
Diameter: 29 cm (11 7/16 in.); Overall: 12.6 cm (4 15/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1999.10
Location: not on view
Description
The Abelam people inhabit a hilly region of northeast New Guinea, north of the Sepik River. Their most spectacular art form is a towering spirit house, the gable decorated with brightly painted panels depicting ancestral spirits. Similar faces are carved on these food bowls, and colored with white, orange and yellow pigment after firing. While utilitarian pottery is made by women, decoration with sacred designs must be carried out by men. Ornamented bowls like these are displayed and exchanged at feasts.- {{cite web|title=Carved Bowl|url=false|author=|year=late 1900s|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1999.10