This is a typical Easter Island moai kavakava: a male figure with prominent rib cage and backbone, and a bas-relief carving on the top of the head. It is one of the earlier documented figures of this type, having reached England in 1828 or 1835.
Moai kavakava are generally considered to be ancestor figures, although their symbolism is not known. The notched backbones have been compared to the Māori rakau whakapapa (genealogical staff).
Moai kavakava (human image), early 1800s, wood, bone or shell, obsidian, Rapanui (Easter Island), purchased 1948 as part of the Oldman Collection