Lot 157A
Oceania, Indonesia, Borneo, Dayak (Ot Danum), ca. 19th century CE. This tall house post, carved in the round, portrays a standing ancestor and guardian figure known as a Hampatong. The figure is depicted nude with arms clasped across the chest, exposing female genitalia, and features a coiffed hairstyle or headdress. Standing upon a cylindrical pedestal, the figure's simple facial features include large, watchful eyes, and its elevated height offers an ideal vantage point for surveying the surroundings. The pedestal is engraved with abstract scrolling foliate motifs, which are also present on the verso of the figure's head. Large carvings of Hampatongs were traditionally situated outside longhouses or along paths to protect the community, embodying spirits or deceased ancestors. Size: 8" W x 60" H (20.3 cm x 152.4 cm)
Hampatong are traditional wooden figures crafted by the Dayak peoples of Borneo, serving as ancestral and protective icons within their communities. These sculptures are typically placed near dwellings and along village pathways to ward off malevolent spirits and safeguard the community. Some hampatong depict ancestral couples, believed to offer guardianship and blessings, while others are associated with fertility, placed in rice fields to ensure bountiful harvests .In funerary contexts, these figures are integral to the Tiwah ceremony - a secondary burial ritual among the Ngaju Dayak. During Tiwah, the bones of the deceased are exhumed, purified, and placed in a sandung (a wooden ossuary). The hampatong figures, often representing ancestral spirits or deities, are positioned near the sandung to serve as resting places for the deceased's soul during its journey to the afterlife.
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Emile Deletaille collection, Brussels, Belgium; acquired in the 1970s.
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#184902
- Condition: Exposed to elements with expected weathering commensurate with age. Losses to the top of the head as shown. Deep but stable pressure fissures throughout. The wood has a green-tinged patina from lichen / algae, and white encrustations to the verso. A wooden base is attached to the bottom for stability.
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