In the 1920s and 1930s, the Sepik region of northern New Guinea saw an explosion of artistic activity. Young men, who had gone to work as indentured laborers on German plantations across western Oceania, returned to their homes with immense wealth. Many of them began to commission artists to carve inordinately complex ceremonial artworks whose creation and display would help them advance into a higher grade of political and religious authority. This work was created by one such artist for one such wealthy patron. The delicacy and intricacy of the carving speak to both the skill of the sculptor and the amount of time the artist was paid to spend on the piece. Look closely and you will notice the figure of a bird and a human-like figure, one who looks very similar to the larger flute stopper on the wall to your left.