An ancestor figure, Atoni or Tetum people, West Timor,…
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An ancestor figure, Atoni or Tetum people, West Timor, Indonesia; ancestor figure [ai bahat] early 20th century; in Timor, tattoos signal identity and status. Their talismanic qualities protect the living and the soul after death. He is incised with intricate designs found on a range of Timor Art, including tattoos and textiles. The stylised aquatic and reptilian creatures on the belly of this sculpture are motifs associated with fertility and the Timor nobility. Provenance: Purchased from Daeng Iskander in 1985, Iskander was An important Art Dealer in Bali who helped Barbier Mueller build his Indonesian Art collection which is now in the Musee du Quai Branly collection in Paris. 37 cm

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  • Incised - A record of a name, date or inscription, or a decoration scratched into a surface, usually of a glass or ceramic item with a blunt instrument to make a coarse indentation. Compare with engraving where the surface is cut with a sharp instrument such as a metal needle or rotating tool to achieve a fine indentation.
  • Important - Important is a word used in the antique trade to indicate an object should be ranked above other similar objects, and is therefore more valuable.

    The object could be considered important because it is by a famous designer or maker, has been shown at a major exhibition, is of exquisite workmanship, is rare or is a "one-off", was made for an important patron, and so on.

    Even further up the pecking order are objects that are described in catalogue descriptions as highly important or extraordinarily important.

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