Description:

Southeast Asia, Indonesia, South Sulawesi Island, Toraja culture, ca. early to mid 20th century CE. A beautiful rectangular door, hand-carved from a single piece of hard wood, used to close off certain rooms which contained the bodies of a family's recently-deceased members prior to burial. The exterior border is decorated with carved, interwoven linear motifs, with a miniscule zigzag pattern separating it from the main body. The central area showcases an abstract buffalo design comprised of petite ears, rounded cheeks, dangling ears, and a dual-lobed snout, and its face is defined by intricate curvilinear designs. A small mirror rests in the center of the door. Doors like this example are symbolic because they provide a barrier between the dead from the living before funeral ceremonies, and are protected physically and spiritually by the stylized bull carved into the front. A beautiful example replete with a well-aged appearance! Size: 21" W x 26.75" H (53.3 cm x 67.9 cm).

Provenance: private Johnson collection, Marina Del Rey, California, USA

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#131778

  • Condition: Age-commensurate surface wear, and some stable cracks to obverse and reverse. Minor chips to verso and peripheries, with small cracks and age-marks to mirror, otherwise very good. Nice aged appearance. Light earthen deposits and remnants of original pigmentation throughout.

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April 5, 2018 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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