code: 2018-NB
a tall, carved wooden statue of an androgynous forked figure, known as a
Adu Horö
a Nias protective figure
Adu Horö figures were fastened to a central pole in the house of a Nias chief / nobleman or put leaning against the osa'osa or gari,
they were intended to ameliorate the spritual consequences of war and head hunting,
they serve a protective function for the house,
this statue is made by the Peoples of Nias, an island in the Samudera Indonesia - the Indian Ocean, west of Sumatra,
we see an armless figure / torso, in the shape of a plank, with on a helmet a forked projection in the shape of two flat vertical wings and
carved elements representing golden adornments: a moustache, beard, long earring / Sialu, an earplug and necklace / Kalabubu, Nifatali or Nifato-fato,
the fine carving of the face gives it a the appearance of a beautiful person,
the subtle shallow carved chest / breasts and hips are a well thought over contrast with the pronounced carved male genitalia.
on the torso you see 3 holes, filled with a red cloth - the upper hole must have been used to attache the statue to the pole with a peg, the two lower holes allowed a rope to swing around the pole - the former owner added the red cloth to his personal, aesthetic taste and it does look very beautiful.
condition: authentic patina, smooth feeling to the surface,
we did not clean, wax or polish it, we did not do a thing to change it's appearance,
firm, no worm/bug holes
age: unknown, but the patina particularly, the condition of the wood, signs of use and it's provenance makes us believe it to be
19th century, otherwise early 20th century
provenance: the private collection of Mr. Hans Sonnenberg, owner of Galerie Delta, Rotterdam,
born in 1928 on the Island Zuid-Celebes / Sulawesi Selatan, Indonesia, moved with his parents to Rotterdam in 1938, deceased in 2017, leaving a collection of modern art and Indonesian artifacts for the benefit of two Dutch museums, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam and the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam,
for some more items from the Hans Sonnenberg collection, see:
Christie's Paris, 10 april / avril 2018, Arts d' Afrique, d' Oceanie et d' Amerique
height: 108 cm / circa 42.5 inch / circa 3.5 feet
weight: circa 8,5 kg.
We would like to underline the fact that we are not experts on the subject of tribal art, we have done some research, trying to attribute the object to a land, country, tribe or people, to the best we could. The age, if given, is only the age to our opinion, you might disagree. Do judge yourself the tribal affiliation/origin and correct age before bidding or buying. So we sell “as is” and we will not accept returns if the buyer finds that we are wrong concerning these matters and the way we described age or origine/affiliation.
free world wide shipping
- this means that the shipping costs are included with the sale price
- you wil be ordering registrated shipment provided by PostNL or UPS from
The Netherlands, EU
- this will be according to the shipping provider’s conditions and destinations
- the shipping provider might require your tax number or social
security number (for Customs use only)
- the package will be shipped under Incoterm DAP and HS-code 9706
we are:
delta 98 den haag
The Hague, The Netherlands, EU
registrated at the Chambers of Commerce, The Hague:
Kamer van
Koophandel Haaglanden, file 27133335