Null Toraja burial chamber door (Sulawesi)
It is traditionally carved with an an…

Description

Toraja burial chamber door (Sulawesi) It is traditionally carved with an anthropomorphic figure in high relief, the legs protruding from the lower edge. The arms are represented in movement in slight relief. The eyes are inlaid. Hard wood with a beautiful faded patina. 61 x 44 cm Provenance : According to the collector's notes, it was acquired from the Galerie Leloup (Paris) on April 14, 1984.

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Toraja burial chamber door (Sulawesi) It is traditionally carved with an anthropomorphic figure in high relief, the legs protruding from the lower edge. The arms are represented in movement in slight relief. The eyes are inlaid. Hard wood with a beautiful faded patina. 61 x 44 cm Provenance : According to the collector's notes, it was acquired from the Galerie Leloup (Paris) on April 14, 1984.

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Estim. 1 200 - 1 800 EUR

A RARE TORAJA SHIELD ''KANTA'' Indonesia, Sulawesi (south-east). 19th c. H. 100 cm The kanta shield is the traditional battle shield of the Toraja-Pamona groups of the Tana Toraja Regency in the Lake Poso area in Central Sulawesi. This is a rare type of shield that was also known in the Tomini Gulf area. It is clearly similar to the salawaku on Maluku and probably has the same roots. The kanta shields have an elongated, long narrow rectangular shape, tapering towards both ends with a pronounced central ridge and inlays of nassa shells and bones . The front is covered with overlapping tufts of goat hair, rows of cowrie shells, triangles of tortoiseshell and a black pigment layer of squid ink. Slight slash marks are visible along the ridge, proving that the shield was used in battle. Good shields are always made from one piece The handle is integrated into the back. The shield is reinforced with rattan straps to prevent it from splintering under hard blows. The back is smooth and undecorated. The decoration symbolises a high-ranking holder.It is not certain which Austronesian groups originally utilised these shields, but according to early sources it was known among the Toraja, Topebatu and Kulawi (who used other forms in more recent times). The shields were sacred insignia. As with the salawaku, the shield symbolically forms a body. The inlays represent different parts of the body. The upper part stands for the head, the reinforcing bands for the arteries, the base for the feet. The ridge represents the spine and the inlays the eyes. It is said that the inlays - depending on their number - symbolise killed enemies. Ritual headhunting was common among the Toraja, as it was on Maluku. The wearing of shields was associated with taboos: it was forbidden for tears to ever fall on the shield, and lamentations due to unexpected death through illness or war were not allowed to be uttered in the presence of the shield (the Toraja have a pronounced culture of mourning). The shield is not only a defensive weapon, but is also used for thrusts and feints. It is manoeuvred freehand and with quick movements. Such shields were part of the bride price and were carried in cakalele and hoyla war dances in combination with the swords la'bo or penai. From an old German private collection, assembled in the 1950s - Minor traces of age and slightly chipped Lit.:Kaudern, W (1925): Ethnographical studies in Celebes: Results of the author’s expedition to Celebes 1917-1920. Göteborg. - Sutrisno, K. M. (1984): Sejarah Pengaruh Pelita Terhadap Kehidupan Masyarakat Pedesaan Di Daerah Sulawesi Tengah. Jakarta. - Waterson, R. (1995): Houses, graves and the limits of kinship groupings among the Sa’dan Toraja. In: Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, Vol. 151

Estim. 3 000 - 6 000 EUR

Large Tau Tau funerary statue - Toraja people, carved wood, articulated arms and buffalo bone eyes Sulawesi (Indonesia), early 20th century H. 180 cm Former Madame H collection (Belgium) NB. These statues represent deceased ancestors. Initially dressed in traditional batik, they were installed on funeral balconies where the bodies were kept.

Estim. 200 - 400 EUR

Indonésie, Iles Célèbes

Estim. 1 500 - 2 000 EUR

Toraja Gate, Island of Sulawesi (Celebes) Indonesia Wood Height: 98 cm (without hinges) Width: 51cm Provenance: Former Fargeix collection The Toraja traditionally bury their dead in caves nestled in cliffs. These burial cavities are sealed by impressive wooden doors, richly carved with representations of venerated ancestors and buffalo heads, the latter, known as kerbau, symbolizing both fertility and prosperity. The symbolic significance of these carved doors also meant that they were used to close granaries. Set in wood for eternity, these totemic representations of stylized buffalo honor sacrificial animals and accompany the deceased to the world beyond. The rectangular door features the classic representation of the bovid, whose high-relief head is largely dominated by long, curved horns that meet in the center. The animal's face, whose gaze is represented by two diamond-shaped eyes, is framed by large ears. The vertical element carved between the buffalo's horns could evoke a possible connection with Indonesian cosmology, linked to the Tree of Life or the Tree of the World.

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