Figural fragment
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Lot: 4
Sale 100Figural fragment
Indonesia - Nias
Provenance | Size | Starting price / estimated price |
---|---|---|
Robert Temple, Ghent, Belgium | H: 10.6 inch |
2000 EUR
plus 27 % commission, VAT, transport and insurance |
wood, base
This figure is carved in the style of the "adu zatua" ancestor figures that were common throughout Nias.
It comes from an animal-shaped stool, as it was used in ancient times for grating coconuts. A rasp made of shell or metal was bound to the head of the stool. With this, sitting astride the stool, one could comfortably scrape the coconut flesh out of the shell. Anthropomorphic figures were often attached to the neck of the animals. For a comparable object from the Coppens Collection, see Feldman, 1990, p. 305, ill. 247.
J. A. Feldman et al, "Nias, Tribal Treasures", Delft 1990, p. 305, ill. 247