Eastern Abelam, West Yangoru Male Figure-New Guinea Art-Oceanic Art
Cephalopod normally refers to certain mollusks, squids and octopus. But cephalopod in Greek literally means “head foot” and as the term used to describe such sculptures as this example from the Easter Abelam/West Yangoru area. I recently acquired this amazing figure from an upstate New York collection. While not pre-contact it is a good, solid early example with deeply pierced ears, nose and a tongue poking out through the open lips. Besides these diagnostics the enormous head perched on two wonderfully composed that thrust forward and the dug-out backside mark this as an older pre-1940 example. Notice the white triangular eyes are actually upside-down ceremonial house facades. The figure is 40” (101.6 cm) in height.