On the canoe paddles of the Lower Sepik and Lower Ramu River the tops are often carved as ancestral spirit figures. This fine piece is just such a figure with a classic long nose and a large subsidiary spirit face surmounting the main figure. The piece is an old one with an early rough-hewn carving style and a nice golden brown patina. The object was field collected by Ron Perry in the late 1960s/early 1970s but dates to much earlier (probably early 20th century) and is 7 3/4" (19.6 cm) in height. sold