New Guinea Crucifix-New Guinea Art-Oceanic Art
Over the years I have come across a number of New Guinea crucifixes and was rarely tempted to buy any. Yet, when this one showed up in my inbox recently, I knew it was different. The carving was well done, the piece was large, the colors interesting, the surface aged and most intriguing of all was the typed history taped to the backside. So, the piece combined everything that I would want in such an object—strong aesthetics, unquestionable age and authenticity and an interesting historical component. The crucifix was given to a chaplain of the US Army in 1944 after it had been hidden underground during the Japanese occupation of the island. The piece is 26 ¾” (68 cm) in height.