Several types of abstract figurative sculptures decorated chief's houses in New Caledonia. Finials surmounted the top of conical roofs made of natural materials. "The central pole of the house stood for the living chief-and the finial, for a deceased one. Upon the death of a chief, his maternal relatives would enter the village 'to reclaim their blood'; among other things, they would claim and carry off the finial." (Newton 2001: 304)

Provenance:
Sotheby's New York, November 11, 2004: lot 23
Private Collection, New York

Publishing History:
Sotheby's New York, November 11, 2004: 35, lot 23.