Ancestor figure

Estimated Value:

400 € - 600 €

Result:

259 € incl. Premium and VAT

Description:

Indonesia, probably Sumba or Sumbawa, possibly Flores, Kambera or Nage culture
H. 54 cm
Ancestor figure from the Sumba Islands (Sumba, Sumbawa), eastern Indonesia. Made of hard brown wood, indicated headdress, but possibly also to be interpreted as a stylised hairstyle. Rudimentary ornamentation on the front indicates the former. The figure is depicted standing, the arms are indicated by notches. The posture with the relatively elongated legs and the abstract ornamentation on the round base, as well as the static, expressionless face, point to Sumba or Sumbawa; a definite attribution seems risky, but an East Indonesian provenance is out of the question. Similar figures are known from Flores; however, these usually have a head crest and not the "cap".
From an important German private collection, collected since 1975
Sumba is an 11,150 km² largeße island of the Lesser Sunda Islands and belongs to the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara. Sumba has around 700,000 inhabitants (as of 2010). The population consists of a mixture of Austronesians and Melanesians who speak several related Austronesian languages. Sumba used to be divided into several small kingdoms, each with a Raja as ruler. Headhunting and slave trading were common in the conflict between these kingdoms. Today, the villages in West Sumba with their high thatched roofs - traces of age - are particularly well known.

Bidding

previous lot Catalogue next lot