Male ancestor figure "ana deo" · Indonesia - Flores · ID: 3046691
sold
EUR 13,000
Provenance
Missionaries of Steyl (“Societas Verbi Divini” - “Divine Word Missionaries”), Teteringen, The NetherlandsJ. M. Ydema, Etten, The Netherlands (1954)
Size
H: 52,5 cm
H: 20.7 inch
Description
wood, pigments, rest., missing parts, base
Ancestor figures “ana deo” were placed in pairs, male/female, often on posts on both sides of the entrance door of a house and had a protective function.
They usually show the unusual gesture with the palms of the hands pointing upwards. This could be interpreted as a request for worship, as well as the granting of protection and beneficence.
Comparing literature
Feldman, Jerome, The eloquent dead, Los Angeles 1985, p. 176 f.