Ancestor Pair
Nagju Dayak, Borneo,19th Century.
Previous Collection: Louis T Wells (KAROB COLLECTION)


Carved from Borneo ironwood this fantastic ancestor pair share unique qualities and project powerful imagery. Obviously done by an accomplished hand; these figures were created to protect against harm; and their imposing stature suggests this deeply. The female is a maternity figure and like many of the surreal Dayak charms in existence the child is dramatically grasping the back of the mother in an almost simian manner. Both figures have strong faces with animated expressions; but the male’s face is more contorted, perhaps suggesting an even more imposing force. The bodies are wonderfully conceived from their impressive crowns to the cubist flat torso’s; all the way down to the delineated knees. The surface of the wood is aged with areas of encrustation from years of exposure.
The male figure stands 20.5” tall
The female figure stands 21” tall

Price Upon Request / 7-2-11