Rice Protector

Iban Dayak, Borneo, Indonesia
Early 20th c

Provenance: Old Canadian collection

Reminiscent of German expressionism; this rice protector has a stark and ghostly quality.  Its face has pierced eyes, a carved nose and mouth which has turned white in color from decades of accumulations of dried vegetation and lime.  Its body is elegantly carved with elongated limbs and delineated fingers.  The patina is gray and white, developed over a long period of years from being used outdoors.  The peg extension has been eroded away with time; but the ancestral image remains in good condition.