Rare miniature figure ·  Indonesia - West Sumatra, Mentawai Islands · ID: 3048513

Description

wood, base

Extremely artistically executed figurine. Even though the human features predominate, the face shows animal-like features. It could be the representation of a “bilou” - gibbon, a motif often used in Mentawai art. “Bilou” features in many myths and its haunting calls are considered omens or preditions such as a death in the village.

The Mentawai archipelago is located in the Indian Ocean, about 150 kilometres off the west coast of Sumatra. Although Mentawai was incorporated into the Dutch colonial empire in 1854, the beliefs and social organisation of the inhabitants have hardly changed from the times of their ancestors to the present day.

The object Rare miniature figure with the object ID 3048513 was last part of the auction 97th Auction at November 6, 2021 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 105 achieved a sales price of EUR 1,700.

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