A Boiken Carved Wooden Ceremonial Disk – Papua New Guinea

The Boiken carved plate with a custom made stand with archaic carvings. This object is a type of ceremonial wooden plate deeply embedded in local custom. The plate was exhibitioned at the Brussel art fair in 2022 by Serge Schoffel.

Dating: Between 1900 and 1940, possibly older Material: wood
Height: 47 cm without stand
Condition: good; original surface with authentic patina and clear signs of ritual use.

Historically, Boiken people used these wooden platters as serving dishes for food in daily life, but they also had significant ritual functions . In Boiken and neighboring societies, such plates were brought out during ceremonies, used in funerary rites and marriage exchanges . When not in use, the plates would be hung on the walls of homes or men’s spirit houses, typically by looping a fiber cord through a hole in one of the carved handles.
These plates were carved with stone, shell, or tooth tools in pre-colonial times, giving many of them an archaic appearance often with finely weathered incisions and encrusted patina. The designs on Boiken plates are highly stylized and often carry symbolic meaning. Common motifs include abstract zoomorphic and anthropomorphic figures, portals of the spiritual realm, clan totems and/or spirit beings.