Door board (jovo) 19th century Kanak people Architectural carvings such as this pair of door boards (jovo or tale) are one of the primary forms of expression of the Kanak people of New Caledonia. Each of these rectangular, relief-carved door posts from New Caledonia is cut from a single panel of wood. The upper portion depicts an anthropomorphic face, likely the representation of a particular ancestor or the portrait of a recently departed chief. Each of the faces conform to a stylistic template common to the region and feature a prominent broad-based nose with large hollowed nostrils, large r
Door board (jovo) 19th century Kanak people Architectural carvings such as this pair of door boards (jovo or tale) are one of the primary forms of expression of the Kanak people of New Caledonia. Each of these rectangular, relief-carved door posts from New Caledonia is cut from a single panel of wood. The upper portion depicts an anthropomorphic face, likely the representation of a particular ancestor or the portrait of a recently departed chief. Each of the faces conform to a stylistic template common to the region and feature a prominent broad-based nose with large hollowed nostrils, large raised almond-shaped eyes which are set close under the ridge of the brow above, prominent raised cheeks and a mouth with parted lips as if breathing out or speaking. This pair also have the distinctive feature of an extended tongue that may be a reference to speech and oratory, an important skill demanded of leaders. A crescent-shaped flat panel extends below the mouth and spans out at an angle to represent a beard - a signal of age and wisdom, also singular attributes appropriate to the success of a leader. The ears are rendered as V-shapes and carved in raised relief at either side of the face and a notched band crosses each forehead with a simple pattern that evokes the fiber cord which headmen were accustomed to wear as an element of their coiffure. At the top edge of each plaque, two circular perforations indicate where the door post would originally have been lashed and attached with fiber cord bindings to the architecture of the chief’s house. The lower portion of each panel features geometric patterning - serial, loosely zig-zagging concentric lines that fan out in serial lozenge shapes that extend down the length of the post. It has been suggested that carved designs on the lower sections of door boards may originally have been a representation of the torso with navel and ribs. This design element is now most commonly identified as a representation of the layers of t
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