Toraja Ancestor Figure (Tau-Tau), Sulawesi, Indonesia

the eyes inlaid with Trochus Shell (Trochus niloticus).

Allan Stone, New York

Good condition for an object of this type and age. Marks, nicks, scratches, abrasions, small chips and cracks. Joints held together with wood pegs. Some pegs replaced. Loss to smallest finger on proper right hand. Proper right eye missing button as seen in catalogue photograph. Age cracks to back. Some repaired breaks including to right elbow. Head is separately-carved and inserted into a bamboo sleeve inside torso with opening at back, and can be turned. Bamboo sleeve with age cracks. Age cracks to back. Fine varied aged patina with remains of white and red pigment. Fiber attachments fragile.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Capistrano-Baker (1994: 87) notes: "The Toraja people on the island of Sulawesi carved lifesize images called tau-tau for use in funerary rituals held for high-ranking individuals.  Unlike most other types of ancestor figures in Southeast Asia, the tau-tau functioned more as a portrait of the deceased than as a receptacle for the soul [...] the soul itself resided in the spirit world, surrounded by the pigs and water buffalos that had been sacrificed at his funeral."  According to Barbier (1984: 108) "The tau-tau were placed, sitting or standing, at the entrance to cave tombs cut in the face of certain cliffs.  [...] These ancestral effigies [...] are hoisted up the cliffs by means of bamboo scaffolds and then periodically taken down to be given new sets of clothes."

See Feldman (1985: 26), for a closely comparable figure in the collection of UCLA, Los Angeles.