Spirit Board (Gope)
Arts of the Pacific Islands
MEDIUM
Wood, pigment
DATES
early 20th century
DIMENSIONS
43 x 8 1/2 x 2 in. (109.2 x 21.6 x 5.1 cm)
(show scale)
INSCRIPTIONS
Labels on back read: "Meagama - Gopi Delta Div. Papua 11/13/33 4 S. tobacco 8 [illegible] beads" and "8"; written and crossed out in red: "4.135L"; written in red: "51.118.6"
ACCESSION NUMBER
51.118.6
CREDIT LINE
Gift of John W. Vandercook
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION
Narrow oval plaque of wood is carved with a design consisting of isolated linear forms arranged along the vertical axis. From top to bottom is a circle with three downward-facing spokes, a stylized fast the sides of which terminate in elongated hook forms, a circle with four diagonally-branching spirals, a circle flanked by two abstract motifs; at the bottom there is another circle with three spokes: the middle spoke points straight up, the two side spokes curl inward. These designs are filled in with which pigment. Ochre and black pigment complete the surface decoration.
The object is in good condition. The surface is worn and abraded from use, but stable. White paint is flaking in areas. Labels on back include a proper white label with "B'klyn, L 100.61" written and typed onto it respectively, two fabric tags- "Meagama- gopi, Delta div. Papua, 11/13/33 4s. Tobacco, 8 (?) beads" and "8" with "34.185L" written in red paint and crossed out. Traces of blue exhibition paint are located along top back edge.
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Spirit Board (Gope), early 20th century. Wood, pigment, 43 x 8 1/2 x 2 in. (109.2 x 21.6 x 5.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of John W. Vandercook, 51.118.6. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 51.118.6_black_background.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 51.118.6_black_background.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a
Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply.
Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online
application form (charges apply).
For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the
United States Library of Congress,
Cornell University,
Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and
Copyright Watch.
For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our
blog posts on copyright.
If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact
copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
RECORD COMPLETENESS
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and
we welcome any additional information you might have.
