This is an early twentieth century Adu Siraha Salawa from Southern-Central Nias seated on a small plateau. The arms hold a cup and are bent in a typical W-shaped from found throughout all Nias regions, but is always applied to North Nias images with arms. The Siraha Salawa represent long deceased founding fathers whose function is to protect the houses of the nobility and village chiefs. The necklace seems to represent a decorated (possibly gold plated) kalabubu necklace. The bracelet (töla gasa) around the right wrist, the ornament hanging from the right ear, the stylized mustache and beard together with the exposed genitalia indicate this is a male ancestral image. These rounded ear ornaments (gela gela nra ono) were used to stretch the ear lobes. The elaborate peaked crown worn by this figure is decorated with fern fronds and flanked by two wing-shaped ornaments at the back.

A dark rich patina is present and this layer seems to have hardened the outside of the wood as can be observed through a serrate character along a small crack on the back. The age of the carving is believed to be about 100 yrs as the Hilinawalo villagers provided this information.

The lot # 32 sold on the 16th of May at Sotheby’s, New York

Collection #: 344
Size: 73cm (h) x 15,5cm (w) x 18cm (d)
Age: 19th-earliest 20th century
Material: Wood
Origin: Hilinawalo, Nias Island, Sumatra
Publication:
A similar Siraha Salawa carving can be seen in Feldman et al. 1990, Nias Tribal Treasures (cat nr. 20). Furthermore an almost identical image was recently (Fri 16 May 2008) sold at Sotheby’s for USD 157.000,- (lot nr 32).