Figure, One of a Pair
Not on view
One of a pair of matched male and female images from the Toba Batak people of Sumatra. Each figure is carved from dark brown wood and seated on a tapering, roughly circular base, with the legs drawn in towards the body and the hands clasping the knees. The male figure wears a flat headdress surmounted by a backward curving projection, probably representing a plume of hair, while long hair is shown gathered at the back, projecting upwards at the nape of the neck. The female figure has a smooth, gently domed head with no indication of hair. The ears of both figures are carved in high relief and show the artificial extension of the earlobes formerly practiced by the Batak. Both figures have eyes which are inlaid with grey metal. The carving style, though economical, is expressive. Sloping angular forms indicate the pectoral muscles of the male figure while these in the female slope upwards to indicate breasts. Simple incised lines indicate fingers and toes, and while the base of the male figure is undecorated, the base of the female figure is incised with curvilinear foliate motifs.
Further reading
Hersey, Irwin. Indonesian Primitive Art. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991.
Capistrano-Baker, Florina H. Art of Island Southeast Asia: The Fred and Rita Richman Collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1994.
