Figure with 'crown'

The ‘crown’ on this figure is highly unusual. Nine holes, in three groups of three, are drilled into the base, and it is likely that three further holes were present at the back, now broken away. The holes were probably originally inlaid, since the male labret holes have red pigment still in place. The surface of the ivory is curiously eroded, as if it had been covered in lichen for a long period. The legs of the figure appear to have been sawn off and a hole has been drilled into the base. This could be the legacy of a previous owner tidying up a jagged break for mounting purposes, leaving an impression of a medieval chess piece. From the angle of the thighs it is likely that the legs were originally flexed.

Steven Hooper, 1997

Entry taken from Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Collection, Vol. 2: Pacific, African and Native North American Art, edited by Steven Hooper (Yale University Press, 1997) p. 247.