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A MAGIC STAFF, TUNGGAL PANALUAN, BATAK PEOPLE, 19TH-EARLY 20TH CENTURY
奥地利
2024年10月18日 开拍
拍品描述
A MAGIC STAFF, TUNGGAL PANALUAN, BATAK PEOPLE, 19TH-EARLY 20TH CENTURY

Indonesia, Sumatra. Finely carved and lacquered hardwood depicting a standing cult figure holding a lute, intricately carved in high relief with two geckos above a water buffalo mask. The figure's outsized head is boldly detailed, featuring large almond-shaped eyes, slender parted lips revealing a full set of teeth, and flanked by curled ears adorned with floral earrings.

Provenance: From a private collection in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Condition: Good condition with old wear, signs of weathering and erosion, natural age cracks, splits, drilled holes near the base, and minor losses. Flaking to lacquer. The wood with a fine, naturally grown, dark patina.

Weight: 3.9 kg
Dimensions: Height 80.5 cm

Located in the mountainous highlands of northern Sumatra, the Batak are one of the largest indigenous groups in Indonesia. They are divided into six groups, the Toba, Pak Pak/Dairi, Karo, Angkola, Mandailing, and Simalungun, and have an estimated total population of 3 million. The most powerful members of a Batak community are ritual specialists, known as datu. They are experts in religion, and are most often members of the village’s founding family. These specialists, who are exclusively male, are able to cure the sick, contact the spirits of the dead, and predict auspicious days for particular events.

A datu‘s most important possession is his ritual staff, made of special wood that symbolizes the tree of life. Since a specialist is required to create his own staff, they vary widely in style, size and form. The simplest type of ritual staff, tungkot malehat (“smooth staff”), has a single wooden or metal figure attached to the top end of the shaft. Specialists “animate” or activate the power of the figures by filling them with a magical potion, known as pupuk. This substance is considered to be extremely powerful. The tunggal panaluan is another variation of the ritual staff carved with human and animal figures arranged above each other. Animals found depicted in the tunggal panaluan include snakes, dragons, geckos, and water buffaloes.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related Batak wood musket ball holder, 21.2 cm long, in the Art Gallery of New South accession number 528.2010.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s Paris, 4 December 2019, lot 61
Price: EUR 7,500 or approx. EUR 8,700 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A magic staff, Batak, Sumatra Island, Indonesia
Expert remark: Compare the related form and manner of carving. Note the larger size (168.5 cm).

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价格信息

拍品估价:350 - 700 欧元 起拍价格:350 欧元  买家佣金:

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