Adu Nuwu with attendant
South Nias
19th c.
wood
33 & 23 cms/13 & 9 inches 

A remarkably sensitive portrait of the 'first ancestor'. A companion piece, collected by Paul Wirz before 1927, is now in the Museum der Kulturen, Basel. It is published in the Delft catalogue Nias Tribal Treasures, pl.22. The second figure (23cm high) is either an attendant or a recently deceased king, whose direct lineage is demonstrated by his close proximity to the Adu Nuwu.

Asianart.com | Exhibitions | Galleries