Roof Finial

Unknown

19th–early 20th century · Wood · Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

The Kanak peoples of New Caledonia were formerly ruled by hereditary chiefs, who held secular authority and embodied the supernatural power of village ancestors. In the past and, to some extent, today, chief's houses formed the physical and metaphysical centers of Kanak villages and sculptors created a variety of architectural carvings to adorn them. The high conical roofs were crowned by carved finials, such as the present work, representing ancestors and other supernatural beings. These finial sculptures consist either of stylized geometric forms or more naturalistic anthropomorphic figures. Anthropomorphic finials, such as this one, were typically carved with slender torsos and enlarged heads surmounted by a long, protruding spire. The spire in this work has been lost, but in its original form would have been adorned with shells, adding to the value and prestige of the image. The treatment of the facial features, with their prominent nose and protruding eyes, is typical of that seen in other forms of Kanak wood sculpture, such as doorboards and masks.

Artist

Unknown

Date

19th–early 20th century

Medium

Wood

Culture

Kanak people

Department

Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

Credit line

The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979