Dayak Reliquary Guardian Figure, Borneo, Indonesia, circa 1280-1400 AD

Ah Ting, Samarinda (East Kalimantan)
Jack Sadovnic, Brussels, acquired from the above in 1983-84
Maureen Zarember, New York, acquired from the above on May 13, 1988
Allan Stone, New York, acquired from the above

No author, "Art in Motion", Tribal Arts Magazine, No. 69, Autumn 2013, p. 28
Olga Grimm-Weissert, "Hauptstadt der Stammeskunst", Die Zeit, No. 35, August 22, 2013, p. 46

Good condition overall for an object of this great age and rarity, partially fragile. Weathered with surface cavities throughout as shown in catalogue photograph. Areas of glue for the stabilization of cracks in pelvic area. Cut marks to the top of the head. Stains and remnants of lichen. Blue beads in eyes added later. Fine aged varied grey surface. Fixed to modern base with a metal pin under each foot.
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Depicting an idealized ancestor, the present figure is posed in powerful readiness: with chest forward, knees bent, and hands on his thighs, seemingly set to spring forward toward the viewer.  The intimidating expression reinforces his potency, with eyes wide and teeth bared.   From early field photographs (see Nieuwenhuis 1904: 377) we know that figures of this type, which are today extremely rare, were oriented horizontally and were incorporated into richly-adorned ancestral ossuary-shrines which were placed in caves, on cliff ledges, or under rocky overhangs.  These funerary assemblages testify to the great importance assigned to the afterlife and the veneration of ancestors among the cultures of inland Borneo, an emphasis which persists to this day.  Elaborate rituals brought the world of the living into contact with the world of the dead, and extravagant sculptural arts embellished reliquaries associated with high-ranking individuals.

Stylistically, this guardian figure relates closely to the commonly known corpus of Dayak (an imprecise term used to refer to all inland Borneo cultures), and particularly Kayanic art, with its flowing, arabesque curves, the lines and planes terminating in sharp points and edges.  The figure’s squat legs and robust shoulders and arms, the pentagonal head with a heart-shaped face featuring bold, circular eyes, and a toothy, diamond-shaped mouth, are hallmarks of the physiognomy seen in classic Kayanic funerary sculpture, baby carriers, painted shields, and architectural elements.  The great age of the present figure, which is carved from extremely dense, heavy wood, but is nonetheless quite weathered, is confirmed by radiocarbon analysis, which proves a date of 1280-1400 AD (C-14 analysis, ETH Zurich, Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, Dr. Georges Bonani, sample "ETH-51530").  This early dating, and the fact of its monumental size and impressive quality, suggest that the present figure belongs to an early, prototypical culture which predates the general corpus of extant Dayak art by several hundred years.

At the center of Island Southeast Asia, Borneo is the third largest island in the world, after Greenland and Papua New Guinea.  With its accessibility by sea, central geographic location, and proximity to India and China, Borneo has been a cultural crossroads for millennia.  Scholars speculate that this region was a departure point for the great maritime migrations that populated the islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.  Common formal traits seen in the artistic traditions of these island cultures indeed suggest common art historical origins.  Aided by radiocarbon dating techniques, scholars now understand that certain Indonesian wood sculptures, preserved from rot in dry caves, are significantly older than previously thought.  These archaic sculptures therefore may provide a rare window into traditions which predated - and served as prototypes to - the celebrated cultures not only of Island Southeast Asia but also of Oceania more broadly.