2 - Poteau Kanak, Nouvelle-Calédonie

Poteau Kanak, Nouvelle-Calédonie Wood, pigments H. 157 cm Height with base: 163 cm This anthropomorphic pole exemplifies the symbolic power of Kanak sculpture, in which the human figure serves as a medium for the relationship between people, ancestors, and the invisible world. Originating from New Caledonia, this object is documented as a ceremonial accessory associated with ceremonial and religious practices. Its form—a stake likely intended to be driven into the ground and topped with a human head—suggests a function related to demarcation, protection, or the marking of a ceremonial space. Cylindrical in shape, the pole is decorated across its entire surface, depicting two figures united in a single stylized body. It exudes a sense of tranquility and an intriguing inner depth. Two faces appear at either end. Their imposing, elongated features, carved in low and medium relief, faithfully reflect the traditional stylistic characteristics of Kanak statuary—flat noses with widely flared nostrils and large eyes. The intensity of their gaze and their expressiveness are heightened by the ochre pigments that accentuate the eyes. Provenance - Private French collection Expositions June 6–September 27, 2009, Chartres, Museum of Fine Arts, “The Ancestral Art of the Kanak,” reproduced in the catalog, p. 62 Littérature Anne Lavondès (ed.), Showcase of Oceanic Objects: Inventory of the Collections of the Grenoble Museum—Material Cultures and History in the Pacific in the 19th Century, Grenoble, Natural History Museum, 1990, p. 149