Borneo Ngaju Dayak Hampatong statue of a woman with crown

Description

Impressive Hampatong statue of the Ngaju Dayak from Borneo: a female figure with crown, weathered by the elements and brimming with spiritual power.

This particular Hampatong statue depicts a woman wearing a striking crown-like headdress. The hands rest on the knees, and a long tail runs down the back. The surface is dry and weathered, with deep traces of exposure to the elements. This erosion gives the sculpture a sacred monumentality and a tangible sense of time and ritual use. Mounted on a tripod, the statue exudes a powerful presence typical of Ngaju Dayak ancestral statues.

Origin & meaning
Hampatong statues were traditionally placed around villages and cemeteries of the Ngaju Dayak in Central Kalimantan (Borneo, Indonesia). They acted as protectors against evil spirits as well as representations of important ancestors who watched over the welfare of the community. The female representation emphasises fertility and care. Provenance: ex-collections Fred Smit (Haarlem) and J. Camp Associates LTD. (New York, 1982), from the collection of Fred Richman, New York; later De Zwaan auction house.

Dimensions & condition
Height: 57.5 cm (without stand)
Width: 12 cm
Depth: 12 cm
Condition: heavily weathered by weathering; surface dry and eroded. This condition emphasises the authenticity and long ritual history of the sculpture.

Fred Smit - teacher and historian Fred Smit made his first purchase in 1968 and would steadily expand his collection over the following decades to include objects from distant cultures. His interest was mainly in Africa and Oceania and he bought from recognised galleries, including Galerie Lemaire, Galerie Mabuhay (Rob Kok), Kunsthandel Aalderink and Michel Thieme in Amsterdam. His interests proved diverse: besides masks and sculptures, there were also weapons, carpets and various utensils. Visitors were amazed by the order with which the collector at his home in Haarlem managed to place each object in the big picture of shapes and colours, contributing to an imaginative interpretation of objects from exotic cultures.