SAWOS OR IATMUL SUSPENSION HOOK (SAMBAN)

Almost certainly carved with stone tools, the style of this suspension hook conveys an impression of great archaism. An exceptional encrusted patina indicates long exposure to smoke whilst hanging from the rafters, with the hook's prolonged use attested to by the smoothly worn surfaces of both the suspension hole at the top of the head and the hooks at the bottom of the figure. The pleasingly asymmetric features of the face and the attenuated form of the body possess a febrile and rhythmic quality, emphasized by the way the lower legs and the hook seem to swing away from the vertical axis of the body.