New Caledonia Gomoa Spire-Kanak Art-Melanesian Art-Oceanic Art
Chief’s houses of the Kanak people of New Caledonia were adorned with architectural carvings and their conical roofs surmounted by figurative roof spires called “gomoa.” This is a fine early example with a classic ancestral face. The top is pierced for hanging attachments. The piece is assuredly a late 19th century example, comes from a Canadian collection, is 38 5/8” (98.1 cm) in height.