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Lot 714
Ancestor figure on singa made of wood
Estimated Value:
200 € - 300 €
Result:
incl. Premium and VAT
Description:
Indonesia, Sumatra North, Batak, early 20th or still 19th cent.H. ca. 40 cm
Protective figure of undetermined function, possibly for a container for rice beer or food. The lid or this small sculpture depicts an equestrian figure sitting on a disproportionately small mount. The head is oversized (also in reference to the head cult that exists among the Batak), the legs, which nestle against the body of the mount, are small and bent. The head and mouth sit on the head of a small frontal ancestor figure in a manner typical of Batak art. This motif has - at least directly - nothing to do with being eaten, as it appears at first glance, but symbolizes protection and, above all, rites of passage, as the singa embodies the lower or afterworld. As all life passes through three world levels - the lower, middle and (after the corresponding rites of passage) the upper world - the mouth or body of the singa represents the earth, which transforms and renews all life. The group of figures has a dark patina, probably caused by smoking.
Collected from an old German private collection since the 1950s
