A LARGE WOOD GUARDIAN FIGURE, HAMPATONG, DAYAK PEOPLES, 18TH-19TH CENTURY OR EARLIER
A LARGE WOOD GUARDIAN FIGURE, HAMPATONG, DAYAK PEOPLES, 18TH-19TH CENTURY OR EARLIER
Borneo, Indonesia. Expressively carved, standing firmly on slightly flexed legs, its stance centered on the prominently rendered genitalia. Narrow shoulders rise into a head with schematic features defined by deeply hollowed eyes, a slender nose, and a subtly incised mouth.Provenance: Lek Gallery Art, Bangkok, 2022. Collection of Jacques Cremer, Engelen, Netherlands, acquired from the above. Lek Gallery Art is an antiques gallery in Bangkok's Charoenkrung district, operated by the Attakanwong family since 1975. Jacques Cremer (b. 1965) inherited from his father both a passion for collecting and a remarkable assemblage of antiques, meticulously acquired over several decades. Building upon this legacy and enriching it with pieces of his own selection, he founded his private antique gallery, Tjitra, in Engelen, Netherlands. Specializing in the arts of the Far East and Southeast Asia, the gallery presents a carefully curated selection of exceptional objects, some of which date back as far as 6,000 years. Condition: Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, age cracks and splits, warping, obvious losses. Overall presenting very well.Weight: 13 kg (incl. stand) Dimensions: Height 150.5 cm (excl. stand), 153 cm (incl. stand)With a modern stand. (2)The general name Dayak includes all the peoples native to the inland area of the island of Borneo, who principally settled in the Sarawak and Kalimantan regions. The term underpins a cultural identity that may be attributed to a broad variety of ethnicities including such diverse peoples as the Iban, Kayan, Kenyah, Ngaju, and Ot Danum.Among the most significant expressions of Dayak artistic production are anthropomorphic sculptures known as ‘hampatong’. These figures exhibit considerable stylistic diversity, reflecting their varied ceremonial and propitiatory functions. Depending on their size and placement, such as in front of ceremonial longhouses, at village crossroads, or along riverbanks, hampatong could serve protective purposes, act as commemorative markers, or represent ancestral figures.Literature comparison:Compare two related wood figures of polisi, Borneo, Dayak people, dated 13th century and 15th century, 124 cm and 95 cm tall, illustrated in Thumas Murray, C-14 Dating of Dayak Art, CA Design, 2015, no. 18 and 20. Compare a closely related carved wood guardian figure, dated 19th century, 129 cm tall, in the Asian Civilisations Museum, accession number 1995-02425.The two ancestral figures illustrated in Thomas Murray, C-14 Dating of Dayak Art, were subjected to radiocarbon analysis and yielded dates of approximately 500–800 years old. These results provide important scientific evidence for the age of this distinctive type of Dayak ancestral figure as many figures are much older than expected.Auction result comparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Christie’s Paris, 27 March 2025, lot 111Price: EUR 40,320 or approx. EUR 41,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: Dayak Hampatong figure, East Kalimantan province, Borneo, IndonesiaExpert remark: Compare the similar pose, stylized features, and condition. Note the size (176 cm).
A LARGE WOOD GUARDIAN FIGURE, HAMPATONG, DAYAK PEOPLES, 18TH-19TH CENTURY OR EARLIER
Borneo, Indonesia. Expressively carved, standing firmly on slightly flexed legs, its stance centered on the prominently rendered genitalia. Narrow shoulders rise into a head with schematic features defined by deeply hollowed eyes, a slender nose, and a subtly incised mouth.Provenance: Lek Gallery Art, Bangkok, 2022. Collection of Jacques Cremer, Engelen, Netherlands, acquired from the above. Lek Gallery Art is an antiques gallery in Bangkok's Charoenkrung district, operated by the Attakanwong family since 1975. Jacques Cremer (b. 1965) inherited from his father both a passion for collecting and a remarkable assemblage of antiques, meticulously acquired over several decades. Building upon this legacy and enriching it with pieces of his own selection, he founded his private antique gallery, Tjitra, in Engelen, Netherlands. Specializing in the arts of the Far East and Southeast Asia, the gallery presents a carefully curated selection of exceptional objects, some of which date back as far as 6,000 years. Condition: Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, age cracks and splits, warping, obvious losses. Overall presenting very well.Weight: 13 kg (incl. stand) Dimensions: Height 150.5 cm (excl. stand), 153 cm (incl. stand)With a modern stand. (2)The general name Dayak includes all the peoples native to the inland area of the island of Borneo, who principally settled in the Sarawak and Kalimantan regions. The term underpins a cultural identity that may be attributed to a broad variety of ethnicities including such diverse peoples as the Iban, Kayan, Kenyah, Ngaju, and Ot Danum.Among the most significant expressions of Dayak artistic production are anthropomorphic sculptures known as ‘hampatong’. These figures exhibit considerable stylistic diversity, reflecting their varied ceremonial and propitiatory functions. Depending on their size and placement, such as in front of ceremonial longhouses, at village crossroads, or along riverbanks, hampatong could serve protective purposes, act as commemorative markers, or represent ancestral figures.Literature comparison:Compare two related wood figures of polisi, Borneo, Dayak people, dated 13th century and 15th century, 124 cm and 95 cm tall, illustrated in Thumas Murray, C-14 Dating of Dayak Art, CA Design, 2015, no. 18 and 20. Compare a closely related carved wood guardian figure, dated 19th century, 129 cm tall, in the Asian Civilisations Museum, accession number 1995-02425.The two ancestral figures illustrated in Thomas Murray, C-14 Dating of Dayak Art, were subjected to radiocarbon analysis and yielded dates of approximately 500–800 years old. These results provide important scientific evidence for the age of this distinctive type of Dayak ancestral figure as many figures are much older than expected.Auction result comparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Christie’s Paris, 27 March 2025, lot 111Price: EUR 40,320 or approx. EUR 41,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: Dayak Hampatong figure, East Kalimantan province, Borneo, IndonesiaExpert remark: Compare the similar pose, stylized features, and condition. Note the size (176 cm).
