Vintage 1950 Hand Carved Wood Male and Female Figures From West Timor, Indonesia

  

This pair of hand carved male and female figures is from West Timor, Indonesia. I believe they are from the 50's or 60's, and rare, because women were usually not depicted in their carvings, and also, they are very tall. I learned that each was carved from one piece of wood by the indigenous villagers who were not carvers by trade. They carved statues in the likeness of a dead person, or ancestor, to remember them paying tribute to, and honoring them. These indigenous people believed the origin of life came from their ancestors who taught them skills, knowledge, prosperity and fertility.

The wood is hard, but I do not know what it is. The faces almost have an alien likeness, and together with their elongated bodies, creates quite an interesting piece of cultural history.

Note the necklace that the female is wearing. That is a mamuli that was made of silver and sometimes mixed with traces of gold. The design, similar to a pointed omega shape, would bring prosperity and protect the family, which was bestowed upon a female to wear. The closest hew of the wood is in the photos where I have the statues laying on a carpet.

Also, you can see the cracked wood on each figure. The photos where they are standing upright show the beautiful patterns in the wood. The female cannot stand up alone and needs a small wedge put under the base at the back left. MY PRIVATE COLLECTION CONSISTS OF AUTHENTIC ITEMS THAT WERE NOT PRODUCED AS SOUVENIRS OR FOR MASS EXPORT OR TRADE.

PLEASE ASK ME ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. WIDTH AT ELBOWS: 5.5" - 6".

CIRCUMFERENCE OF BASE: 14" - 14.5". DEPTH OF STATUE AT STOMACH: 4" - 5". WEIGHT OF EACH: 8 - 9 LBS.