A striking ancestor figure from the Lower Sepik River, now part of a private Sydney collection. Smaller figures like this were typically kept inside houses, where they represented ancestors and were believed to protect the home and its occupants from harmful spirits or sorcery.

This example has shell inlaid eyes and mouth, with tassels attached, and still shows traces of its original red/orange pigment in the carved designs—nice signs of age and use.

Size: 38.5 cm (height) 16 cm (width) 7 cm (depth)

Weight: 514 grams