Spirit boards are made in numerous communities of the Papuan Gulf. Artists attempt to attract clan spirits to inhabit the carvings. The dancing figure on this board is very similar to one on a board collected by Roy J. Hedlund. Click on the square below to see the Polaroid photograph showing Hedlund holding two boards, especially the one at left. The photograph was made on April 28, 1961 and is in the Photograph Study Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Webb 2006)

Provenance:
Bruce Frank Gallery, New York 2005
R.W.Bentley and Peter McCormick, California
Sotheby's October 14-15,1977
Hans Schouten, Abcoude, Holland 1972

Publishing History:
Sotheby's New York. October 14-15,1977: lot 678.

Exhibition History:
Coaxing the Spirits to Dance: Art of the Papuan Gulf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. October 24, 2006 - December 2, 2007.