Specifications
- Height: 37 cm
- Material: wood, vegetalÂ
- Position: squatting
- Gender: male
- Indigenous name:
- Price realised: € 16.000,- hp
Provenance
Private Dutch colonial collection, early 1930s; thence by descent; Venduehuis der Notarissen, The Hague, 19-11-2020, lot 837.
Publications
Additional information
Ancestor figures of this size from Leti and surrounding isles were generally placed on a pillar or rectangular pole. Underneath the base of this statue there is a clear marking of a rectangular extension that has been cut or sawn off. A remarkable detail are the holes drilled on purpose in the armpits and back of the knees; small holes are also visible below the feet. On three sides of the base we see a vegetative ornamentation carved in low relief symbolising wealth and fecundity and which together with the ornaments are meaninful attributes of an important ancestor, i.e. a village founder.
Photo credits
Venduehuis der Notarissen, The Hague