Adu Zatua Figure, Nias, Indonesia

Jaap Kunst (1891-1960) Collection, Bandung / Amsterdam, acquired in situ circa 1920 / 1930

Thence by descent

Private Collection, Amsterdam

This Adu Zatua statue from Nias Island comes from the Jaap Kunst Collection (1891-1960). This musician and music teacher from Groeninge visited Java in Indonesia as early as 1919. He settled in Bandung, which was to become his home for some ten years, during which he studied the local culture, particularly music. He made numerous recordings throughout the Indonesian archipelago, notably of the famous gamelan, and amassed an important collection of musical instruments. Jaap Kunst was one of the pioneers of ethnomusicology, which he taught at the University of Amsterdam from 1942. In 1958, he became a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. After becoming an internationally recognized authority on ethnic music, he was named Honorary President of the American Society for Ethnomusicology.

It was during one of his stays on Nias Island, where he went to make recordings, that he acquired this Adu Zatua statue. On this island, all wooden statues are called Adu, and are linked to the supernatural world and the spirits of the dead, whose receptacle they are. These elaborately carved, relatively large figures were intended for the elite of the community. This type of statuette was placed in visible locations in front of the house window, on an altar or hanging from the roof. The crouching figure holds two ritual pestles in his hands, a sign of his cultic role. It wears numerous ornaments, including an impressive headdress, a characteristic earring and the traditional twisted Kalarbabu necklace. These reflect the deceased's high social status, wealth and prestige. The quality of the sculpture, with its skillfully balanced proportions, and the artist's talent, visible in the details, make this statuette a remarkable example of Adu Zatua figures.