Lot O6 - Gulf Province Gope Board

Gope Board (Ancestral Spirit Board)

Papua Gulf Province, Papua New Guinea
Mid-20th century
Height: 100 cm

Carved wooden gope board decorated with mirrored ancestral faces and flowing geometric motifs in white and ochre pigments. The rounded head-like crest and elongated canoe-shaped body are characteristic of spirit boards from the Papua Gulf.

Gope boards were suspended in men’s ceremonial longhouses and were believed to embody protective clan spirits. They played an important role in ritual life and communal identity.

Good condition with age-related wear and pigment loss consistent with period.