This glowering figure is a female Sepik River sculpture from Papua New Guinea. She is seated, with short legs, a long trunk and a tall, domed head with frowning expression. The hair is raised, and painted with dark pigment, while the eyes are inset with cowrie shells to heighten their impact. The rendering of the limbs and torso is excellent, with detailing such as breasts and limbs carefully picked out.

The Sepik River area is arguably the most important artistic region in the Antipodes. They use masks for ceremonial purposes and festivals, while figures usually represent ancestors. They were used for manhood initiation procedures, and were otherwise stored in centralised magical huts.

This is an important and impressive piece of Oceanic art.