Coffin fragment · Indonesia - Borneo, Dayak · ID: 3041445
sold
EUR 4,000
Provenance
Bruce Frank, New York, USASize
H: 35 cm
B: 42,5 cm
H: 13.8 inch
B: 16.7 inch
Description
heavy wood, blackish brown patina, white pigment, end piece with flat deepened upper side, lower surface carved with a pair of human legs with flat kneecaps and hanging feet, notched decor, traces of weathering, lichen growth, base;
the incorporation of ancestor images in and around the coffin helped protect the corpse from animal and human intruders, and ensure the safety of visiting relatives.
Comparing literature
Jay, Sian, Art of the Ancestors, Nias, Batak, Dayak, London 2007, p. 72