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I was very confident with my assessment of this fragment before I acquired it from a Maryland estate sale. But…. I am not as confident now. The face and hairdo/covering says Indonesian or Malaysian. The body posture reminds me of an Indian Shiva…. Or a…
Continue reading → - Item Number: S-1446
- Provenance/Origin: SE Asian. Circa early- to mid- 1900s
- Composition: Wood
- Dimensions: 17.5" tall x 7" wide x 3" deep
- Weight: 2.75 pounds
- Price: $ 195.00 USD
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Batak tribes are well known for their carved medicine containers like this (see C-7734, for another). This one is less artistic and more functional, but using the traditional motifs of the Singa (protective creature) and ASO (human-like heads). Functional? This particular container was used (lightly)…
Continue reading → - Item Number: C-0450
- Provenance/Origin: Halangan. N. Sumatra. Age unknown.
- Composition: Wood, metal, cord
- Dimensions: 10" long x 4.5" deep x 5.25" tall
- Weight: 1.25 pounds
- Price: $ 110.00 USD
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I have run across a few of these “yawn” masks over the last few years and have not been impressed. But this one is different. This is an artisan’s stunning interpretation of what is supposed to be a satisfying gesture. But with the wrinkled forehead, flared…
Continue reading → - Item Number: M-8506
- Provenance/Origin: Bali. Circa 1960s.
- Composition: Hibiscus and horse hair
- Dimensions: 10.5 tall x 6" wide x 3.5" deep... none including the flowing hair
- Weight: 1 pound
- Price: $ 58.00 USD
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A Majapahit Kingdom – one of the last major Hindu empires of the Malay archipelago – in eastern Java from 1293 to around 1500. The Majapahit society developed a high degree of sophistication in both commerical and artistic activities . . . yielding a cosmopolitan population…
Continue reading → - Item Number: S-7183
- Provenance/Origin: Majapahit Empire influence. Likely Bali. Age: at a minimum 150 years old
- Composition: Sandstone on wood base
- Dimensions: Head: 6.5" tall x 6" wide x 6" deep. On Base: 16" tall
- Weight: 12.5 pounds
- Price: $ 435.00 USD
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Aceh is a semi-autonomous Indonesian province on the northeast tip of the island of Sumatra. The ethnic group there – the Acehnese – use the Rencong to fight off invaders during the frequent conflicts especially in the mountainous wilderness areas. Engagement techniques vary depending on the…
Continue reading → - Item Number: W-0083
- Provenance/Origin: Aceh, Sumatra. Circa mid-1900s
- Composition: Wood and metal
- Dimensions: 14.25" long x 6" at widest point. Blade: 8.5"
- Weight: 1 pound
- Price: $ 165.00 USD
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Not to be confused with the Wayang Topeng mask used in a dramatic form of dance performances, this mask was used in performances and stories about the kingdom of Janggala . . . about a love story between a prince and princess. Obviously not used by the…
Continue reading → - Item Number: M-1600
- Provenance/Origin: Bali through Thailand. Age unknown
- Composition: Wood
- Dimensions: 12" tall x 5.5" at widest point
- Weight: 1 pound
- Price: $ 88.00 USD
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By now you know the significance of this Hindu deity riding between the Garuda (protector) wings. If not, ask me. I have books on the symbolism . Carved in the 1940s -1950s in the town of Ubud in the…
Continue reading → - Item Number: S-1250
- Provenance/Origin: Ubud Bali. 1940s - 1950s
- Composition: Wood, gold leaf, paint
- Dimensions: 36" tall x ~34" at widest
- Weight: ~25 pounds
- Price: $ 1,650.00 USD
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There is still little known about the wayang golek puppets but historians have speculated that they most likely originated in China and arrived on the north coast of Java (Pasisir region) around the 17th Century. Through a series of cultural adoptions over a couple of hundred years,…
Continue reading → - Item Number: O-4445
- Provenance/Origin: Java. Circa 1960s.
- Composition: Cloth, embroidery, wood
- Dimensions: 24" from top to bottom of costume
- Weight: 1 pound
- Price: $ 115.00 USD
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Directly from Madura, this Keris was passed on through 2 generations. Madura is an Indonesian island off the northeast coast of Java and is inhabited by 3.65 million Madurese. Keris have been produced for centuries. It is divided into three parts: blade (wilah), hilt…
Continue reading → - Item Number: W-0199
- Provenance/Origin: Madura Indonesia. Generational family. Circa mid-1900s
- Composition: Wood and various metals
- Dimensions: 20.5" in sheath x 6.75" at widest point
- Weight: 1.75 pounds
- Price: $ 395.00 USD
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Sure, the Ibans / Dayaks were renowned for practicing headhunting to further territorial expansion. They had a fearsome reputation until the Europeans arrived with their colonization in the 1800s. Some headhunting episodes were reported into the mid-1900s. There were rituals, ceremonies and festivals all…
Continue reading → - Item Number: O-2751
- Provenance/Origin: Dayak, Indonesia, Circa 1940s. From a private collection
- Composition: Wood and metal stand
- Dimensions: 36.5" on stand x 1.5" diameter at widest point
- Weight: 2.25 pounds
- Price: $ 465.00 USD
