Collected by Pierre Langlois (1927–2015), Western New Guinea, West Papua, Cenderawasih Bay, in 1962. John Alan Friede (b. 1938), New York, NY. Carlo Monzino (1931–1996), Lugano, Switzerland. Anonymous (sale, New York, Sotheby’s, 10 November 1987, lot 132). Masco Corporation Collection, Livonia, MI, sold 2008 through; [Sotheby’s, New York, to]; LACMA.

Gallery Label
This canoe prow, with its intricately carved interlaced scrollwork, is from the Cenderawasih, formerly Geelvinck, Bay area of the western half of the island of New Guinea. The area now known as West Papua had diverse cultural ties to other regions, including Indonesia, through trade contact, and the interlaced carved artwork of the region reflects this. The Indonesian influence is visible in the scroll motifs, which also appear in Indonesian textiles and wood reliefs.

Figures attached to the tops of the prow are ancestor effigies known as korwar, literally translated as “soul of the dead,” which are topped with cassowary feathers. These korwar protected those riding in the canoe.

Male carvers designed this exquisite prow with inherited knowledge from their fathers. The prow was attached to an outrigger canoe with bamboo strips, and painted red, white, and black. These canoes were used in war expeditions or as transportation to special ceremonies.