Online catalogue for the 54th tribal art auction
1 Pendant "pinangpanga"
This object is not available any more.
Philippines - Luzon
silver, flat openwork design, symmetrical arranged, two human figures on either side, two stylized deer heads on top, wrapped up with black wire, acrylic base; both iconographic elements "bulul" (ancestor figures) and deer are bestowing a fertilizing and protective function upon the amulet.
H: 4,5 cm, presumably 19./20 century
H: 1.8 inch, presumably 19./20 century
Literature
Rodgers, S., Power of Gold, Jewelry from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, 1985/86
Sold.
2 Staff "pagar"
This object is not available any more.
Indonesia - Sumatra, Batak
wood, black shiny patina, plant fibres, straight handle, circular in cross section, with metal tip, carved with a human head, crowned by a funnel-shaped superstructure of plaited plant fibre, which presumably once contained a figure, min. dam., slight signs of abrasion, fissures; magical staffs of that kind belong to the most important ritual objects of a "guru". They should protect against fire, hostility and diseases, they could make rain and drive away storms, they could guarantee fertility of fields, humans and animals.The history of the staff derives from mythology. The story goes about twins turning into trees as punishment for incest. From that time on that kind of staffs were made out of the wood of that very special tree ("Cassia Javanica").
L: 111 cm
L: 43.7 inch
Literature
Sibeth, Achim, Mit den Ahnen leben - BATAK - Menschen in Indonesien, Ausst.kat., Linden-Museum Stuttgart 1990, p. 129, ill. 155
Sold.
3 Male figure
This object is not available any more.
Indonesia - Sumatra, Batak
wood, dark brown, partly shiny patina, long and slightly bent legs supporting a slender trunk, showing a cavity filled with magical mass and incised snail, narrow sloping shoulders merging into angled arms worked close to the body, the hands resting in front of the breast, holding a triangular item, crowned by an elongated oval head with big prominent eyes flanking a bulky nose, a small rectangular mouth underneath, min. dam., fissures, slight signs of abrasion, on wooden base
H: 57,5 cm
H: 22.6 inch
Literature
Sibeth, Achim and Bruce W. Carpenter, Batak Sculpture, Singapore 2007, p. 159
Sold.
4 Standing male ancestor figure "itara"
This object is not available any more.
Indonesia - Timor, Ataúro Island
wood, dull dark brown patina, ascetic slender body, high-legged, with thin arms carved free of the body, the neck carved with a ring, supporting a narrow head, the length accentuated by a sharp nose ridge, slightly dam., crack (face), place of repair (left arm), abrasion, on metal plate; wood sculpture from the mountainous island of Ataúro remained virtually unknown in the West until the early 1970s. Most of the surviving examples consist of ancestor images, known as "itara". Carved in male/female pairs, "itara" portray distant ancestral couples, the semi-legendary founders of families and lineages. They were kept in special houses for sacred objects called "ruma lululi". The role of the "itara" remains largly undocumented. The figures are reportedly used in the detection of thieves. In another rite, held in honour of the deities "Lé-Kali" and "Mimítu", five "itara" are assembled to form the symbolic crew of a miniature boat.
H: 28,5 cm
H: 11.2 inch
Literature
Kjellgren, Eric, Oceania: Art of the Pacific Islands in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 2007, p. 246, ill. 144 f.
Sold.
5 Theater mask "butha"
Indonesia - Java
painted in light grey, red and black, of oval hollowed form, pierced eyes with spherical bulging pupils, flanking a big snub nose, a broad mouth with strong, tusk-like teeth below, painted brows and beard, raised curls aside, dam., place of repair (crack), abrasion; representing a demon.
H: 20 cm
H: 7.9 inch
Provenance
Private Collection, USA
Literature
Lucas, Heinz, Java-Masken, Der Tanz auf einem Bein, Erich Röth Verlag Kassel 1973, p. 184
Price: 250 - 400 €
6 Theater mask "patihan"
Indonesia - Java
wood, polychrome painted, of oval hollowed form, green face, golden ornament ("nama") on the forehead, crowned by an ornamentally carved, diademlike head crest, almond-shaped eyes, a slit-like opened mouth, ornamental beard, slightly dam., crack at the chin; the javanese theater as a whole goes back to the buffalo-skin figures of "wayang purwa", especially on the round figures of "wayang golek". The present mask is supposed to be a "patihan" mask, representing a governmental administrator.
H: 21 cm
H: 8.3 inch
Provenance
Private Collection, USA
Literature
Lucas, Heinz, Java-Masken, Der Tanz auf einem Bein, Erich Röth Verlag Kassel 1973, p. 157
Price: 250 - 400 €
7 Stone mace-head
This object is not available any more.
Papua New Guinea
wooden shaft, with a blackish brown patina, circular in cross-section, crowned by a massive mace-head with "flower-shaped" rim, fixed by square rotan cuffs, enclosing the stone on top and at the bottom, closely tied together by rotan strings aside, thus fixing the stone to the shaft, traces of red pigment on stone and cuffs
L: 36 cm
L: 14.2 inch
Provenance
Coll. Ernst Heinrich, Stuttgart, Germany
Private Collection, Germany
Sold.
8 Stone mace-head
This object is not available any more.
Papua New Guinea
thin wooden shaft with dark brown patina, crowned by a flat "flower-shaped" mace-head, pierced in the middle, applied with radial notches and a recessed rim, fixed by square rotan cuffs and strings aside, the heavy stone dyed in red, the cuffs showing residues of black paint; because of the delicate shaft surely used for pure ritual purposes.
L: 39 cm
L: 15.4 inch
Provenance
Coll. Ernst Heinrich, Stuttgart, Germany
Private Collection, Germany
Sold.
9 Stone headed club
This object is not available any more.
Papua New Guinea
wooden shaft, with a blackish brown patina, circular in cross-section, crowned by a ring-shaped mace-head of heavy stone, rounded at the rim, dyed with red and black pigment, fixed by diamond-shaped rotan cuffs and strings, missing part (rotan string missing); stone headed clubs were not only used as weapons, but should symbolize strength and power of its owner as well. They were displayed as ceremonial ornaments in the course of head hunting and initiation rites, as well as warriors masquerades.
L: 42 cm
L: 16.5 inch
Provenance
Ernst Heinrich, Stuttgart, Germany
Private Collection, Germany
Sold.
10 Club with stone head
This object is not available any more.
Papua New Guinea
wood, fiber, stone, split upper part of the handle, hold together by a tight plait, star-shaped mace-head of dark grey basalt-like stone affixed, min. dam., slight signs of usage
L: 101 cm
L: 39.8 inch
Sold.
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