Figure
- Gallery: Room 2
- Date: 18thC(late)-19thC(early)
- Object type: figure
- Materials: ironwood; coir; feather; bark
- Museum number: Oc,LMS.169
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
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About this object
This is a large standing male figure carved from ironwood and wrapped with coir rope. On his chest, three small male figures are carved in high relief, while two more are arranged on each arm in low relief. These figures are linked by coir bindings that still show traces of barkcloth and feathers.
The figure’s distinctive eye—with two lids and a brow—appears in other Cook Islands sculptures and suggests a connection to Rarotonga. Made from a densely grained wood that polishes smoothly, the piece is extremely heavy.
It was collected by the London Missionary Society and likely dates to the late 1700s or early 1800s. Unlike many similar figures, it remained intact, as missionaries often modified such works. Only a few examples like this one are known to survive.
See it in person
Figure is on display in Room 2 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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