Male Ancestor Figure
- Male Ancestor Figure
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For the people of Nias, ancestors played a vital role in daily life. Ancestors created the world and affected the fertility and fortune of the living. This refined ancestor figure, in a seated position and grasping a cup with both hands, is from North Nias. The adornments are markers of nobility.
Nias is a small island of Indonesia. As in many cultures of Indonesia, gold was a symbol of wealth and high status. Religious ceremonies were held to consecrate gold objects, bestowing titles and status upon the owner. The more gold objects commissioned, the greater the owner's status. Unique among Indonesian societies, the people of Nias melted their old jewelry to make new. This tradition symbolized the cycle of death and rebirth.
Gold versions of his crown and earring were commissioned to be worn at major feasts. The necklace of polished coconut disks identifies this figure as a warrior. The mustache and beard represent gold ornaments that clean-shaven nobles wore at special ceremonies. These sculptures, called siraha salawa, represent the founding ancestors of important lineages. Each noble household had only one sculpture of this kind, attached to a prominent post in the largest room in the house. The figure served as the supernatural protector of the home.
ProvenanceRalph C. Altman (1909-1967), Los Angeles; by inheritance to his wife, Patricia B. Altman, Los Angeles, 1967; [Sotheby's, New York, May 16, 2008, lot 32][1]; purchased by MFAH, 2008.
[1]Sotheby's Catalogue, May 16, 2008.
Exhibition HistoryLos Angeles, The Ethnic Art Galleries, UCLA, Ralph C. Altman Memorial Exhibition, April 8 - June 30, 1968
"The Eloquent Dead: Ancestral Sculpture of Indonesia and Southeast Asia," Frederick S. Wight Art Gallery, UCLA, October 8 - November 24, 1985.
Published References The Museum and Laboratories of Ethnic Arts and Technology, UCLA (eds.), Ralph C. Altman Memorial Exhibition, Los Angeles, 1968, p. 28, cat. 151 Jerome Feldman, ed., The Eloquent Dead: Ancestral Sculpture of Indonesia and Southeast Asia, UCLA Museum of Cultural History, 1985, p. 49. (published in conjunction with an exhibition at the UCLA Frederick S. Wight Art Gallery) Frances Marzio, "The Glassell Collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: Masterworks of Pre-Columbian, Indonesian, and African Gold" (Houston: MFAH; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2011), pp. 292-293. Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
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