A NEW GUINEA TRIBAL KORWAR / KORWA ANCESTOR FIGURE, probably 20th century, the real human skull lacking lower jaw and with one eye filled and mounted with a blue glass bead, the skull raised and resting in an anthropomorphic hardwood stand carved in the form of a standing human figure holding a shield, the shield with a repeating scrolling motif and a rim formed of two serpents with mouths inter-locked, 68cm high overall

This piece is almost identical to a Korwar / Korwa human skull ancestor figure in the collection of the Lourve, Paris (MH 34-87)

Korwar / Korwa were created in and around the Cenderawasih Bay region of north western New Guinea. The Korwar represented individuals who had recently died each serving as a supernatural container into which the spirit of the newly deceased ancestor could be called for consultation or the presentation of offerings. They were highly venerated but also treated with awe and caution. Korwar imagery is highly conventionalised, depicting the ancestor in a seated or standing position. The figures were depicted with the robust head and arrow-shaped nose that are the hallmarks of the style if carved only from wood or they could be mounted with the skull of the ancestor. In many skull Korwar, as with this example, one eye is filled and mounted with a blue glass bead. Korwar were normally kept in the house of the deceased's family but also carried along on dangerous sea voyages to assure a successful outcome. Cenderawasih canoes had Korwar heads incorporated into their prow and stern ornaments, and miniature Korwar were carried as amulets. The pervasive presence of these ancestor images protected the living and emphasized the importance of ancestors in all aspects of everyday life.