Pair of Sumban Seated Ancestor Figures
23 cm (9 inches)

A pair of seated ancestor figures from the island of Sumba, Indonesia  Both have superb stylized elongated faces and sit on their haunches looking straight ahead.  One figure has both hands resting on the knees, while the other has them wrapped around the legs.  Both figures wear shoulder wraps which appears to cover the chest, and they sit on simply-decorated cylindrical pedestals.

It is apparent that these two carvings are by the same hand, and they are therefore being offered for sale as a pair.  They were collected in Sumba in the late 1980s and are in excellent condition.  They have deep chestnut colouring and the patina of age and use.