Early 20th C. Ifugao Wood Guardian Figure - 45" Tall

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Clearance Pre-Columbian, Asian, Ethnographic

By Artemis Gallery

Sep 23, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-09-23 12:00:00 2021-09-23 12:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Clearance Pre-Columbian, Asian, Ethnographic https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/clearance-pre-columbian-asian-ethnographic-7508
Consignor says sell! All lots priced to sell, with reserves now up to 75% off original starting prices. No hidden reserves. All lots will sell to the highest bidder. If you love Pre-Columbian, Asian or Ethnographic art this is one auction you don't want to miss. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  **Originally Listed At $1500**
  
  Southeast Asia, the Philippines, Luzon, Ifugao, ca. early to mid 20th century CE. A well-preserved example of a bulul, a hand-carved wooden figure made to protect the rice crop. He has a simple form: a standing anthropomorphic figure with an oval face, broad shoulders, and a slim body. It stands atop a flat base that has an extending, rectangular spike below it. Its hands are crossed over his chest. The hands and feet are relatively small compared to the face and its features, which include wide eyes, a triangular nose, and a small, straight mouth. This figure represents the foremost tradition of anthropomorphic sculpture from the indigenous people of the Philippines. Size: 4.25" W x 45.15" H (10.8 cm x 114.7 cm); 46.75" H (118.7 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  Art in Ifugao is not just decorative, but also crucial to the well being of the community. Men carve sculptures like this one, and women weave colorful textiles. Bulal, carved from a single piece of wood and representing the human body in a stylized form, are often in male and female pairs, but some, like this one and the example linked to below from the Art Gallery of New South Wales, are androgynous. Bulul are ritually consecrated with pig or chicken blood, and then placed into rice fields and granaries, where they function as guardians.
  
  See a similar example at the Art Gallery of New South Wales: https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/219.2005/?tab=about and another at the Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/626371
  
  Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex Westermann collection, Germany
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
  PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
  
  Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
  
  #131996

  Condition

  Expected weathering on wood surface, with some shallow surface cracks. Loss to tip of nose, but otherwise very well preserved.
• Shipping Info

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