An ancestor figure carved on the Ontong Java atoll in the Solomon Islands will sell at Bonhams Los Angeles on May 11.

It's valued at $200,000-300,000.

The figure was carved using shell and stone tools

It's known as a tino (god) figure and displays a remarkable level of skill despite being carved using shell and stone tools.

Bonhams explains: "Due to their extreme rarity, ancestor figures from the Polynesian Outliers are some of the most enigmatic works from all of the Pacific…

"That many modern artists, including Brancusi and Modigliani, were drawn to these works is understandably clear."

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