Description

Carved wooden basket hook consisting of a female figure with a long oval shaped face and a conical-shaped headdress. The face has incised, tattoo-like detailing on the cheeks, a long nose, inlayed shell eyes and a slightly protruding tongue. The arms hang down to the knees which are slightly bent. The body is rounded; the genital area is exposed. The crescent shaped base has stylized incised band designs that are incorporated into a central face. Along the sides of the body is a rounded, triangular repeating design. The reverse is carved; the centre has a protruding crocodile up the back. The wood is stained black with a clay(?) dust coating.