Southeast Asia, northern Philippines, Ifugao province, ca. early 20th century CE. A fascinating artifact from the native people of the island of Ifugao, who prior to contact with the western world - which mainly occurred during the American occupation of the island during WWII - practiced a traditional life of headhunting. This is a component of a headdress, a monkey skull decorated with woven rattan wrapped around its jaw and above its nose. The rattan holds in place a seated human figure, carved from wood and perched on an integral wooden pedestal. The figure, with its simple features and form, instantly suggests someone watching and waiting. Four feathers extend from the back of the skull. The headdress this was part of would have been worn by a clan leader in a ceremony to honor the ancestors. The monkey skull is used as decoration because the monkey is considered a comic figure. Size: 8.85" W x 5" H (22.5 cm x 12.7 cm); 10" H (25.4 cm) on included custom stand.
Provenance: ex-private San Francisco, California, USA collection
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#148846
Condition
Intact, with rich patina on all surfaces. The monkey is missing some teeth but that likely happened before its death. One half of the monkey's lower jaw bone is also missing but that seems to have happened before the piece was made based on how the rattan is wrapped around it.