Work Board with Mask, Kapuk Ayam
Kayanic Dayak, East Borneo, Indonesia
19th-early 20th c.
Published: “Indonesian Tribal Art”, 2015, pg. 287
Richly decorated boards carved of black ironwood were used for a number of different purposes, including planks upon which beaded textiles were made and as ritual cutting boards. Most boards feature monster masks, described by ( Sellato, 1989), as ‘dragon faces that ward off evil’. This work board is of special interest because of the unusual circle with the wavy line through it, which appears below the splayed body of the monster carved into the surface. This seems to be a marking or signature made by the artist and appears on several other known work boards. The quality of the carving and patina makes it obvious that such works were not simply utilitarian objects.
Work Board with Mask, Kapuk Ayam
Kayanic Dayak, East Borneo, Indonesia
19th-early 20th c.
Published: “Indonesian Tribal Art”, 2015, pg. 287
Richly decorated boards carved of black ironwood were used for a number of different purposes, including planks upon which beaded textiles were made and as ritual cutting boards. Most boards feature monster masks, described by ( Sellato, 1989), as ‘dragon faces that ward off evil’. This work board is of special interest because of the unusual circle with the wavy line through it, which appears below the splayed body of the monster carved into the surface. This seems to be a marking or signature made by the artist and appears on several other known work boards. The quality of the carving and patina makes it obvious that such works were not simply utilitarian objects.