Ancestor figure "adu zatua · Indonesia - Nias · ID: 3047223
Klefisch, Cologne, 11. Oktober 2013, Lot 110
European Private Collection
Description
wood, base
This figure wears a palm leaf crown and long earrings “sialu”, as they were typically worn by women.
These smaller “adu zatua” - figures were lashed to horizontal supporting bars, which were fixed to the wall in the main room of the house. Whenever a member of the family died, a new image was added, so that rows of figures were created. On the anniversary of the death of each of them, offerings were made to the deceased.
The object Ancestor figure “adu zatua with the object ID 3047223 was part of the auction 95th Tribal Art Auction on October 24, 2020. The object with the lot number 11 achieved a sales price of EUR 3,200 with an asking price of EUR 2,000.
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Comparing literature
Feldman, Jerome, The eloquent dead, Los Angeles 1985, p. 51, ill. 21