Pair of ancestral figures "itara" · Indonesia - Timor-Leste, Ataúro Island · ID: 3052619
Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, Germany, 19 June 2010, lot 89
Erik Farrow, San Rafael, USA
Belgian Collection
Description
wood, pigments, plant fibre, base
The traditional woodcarving of Ataúro remained virtually unknown in the West until the early 1970s.
Carved in male–female pairs, the “itara” represent ancestral couples — the founders of specific families and lineages. The figures were kept, together with other sacred objects, in the “ruma-pera’ik”, the house of the tribal chief.
The role of the “itara” within the religious practices of Ataúro remains insufficiently documented. According to oral tradition, these figures were employed in ritual acts intended to identify thieves
The object Pair of ancestral figures “itara” with the object ID 3052619 was last part of the auction Auction 105 at November 15, 2025 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 126.
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Comparing literature
Kjellgren, Eric, Oceania: Art of the Pacific Islands in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 2007, p. 246 f.