Ritual Tankard with Male Ancestor Figure on HandleCentral Nias Island, SumatraWood19th centuryThis beautiful wooden tankard is a rare example of a ritual vessel used by the nobles of Nias for the ritual measurement of rice during religious ceremonies connected with harvest and ancestor worship. A figure of a seated male ancestor (adu zatua) wearing a gold crown and moustache cover is seen on the handle. The ‘Cubist’ treatment of the figure is typical of the art of Central Nias. Other examples of such tankards can be seen on page 309 of Nias, Tribal Treasures (1990) the catalog for an exhibition of Nias art and the Volkenkundig Museum Nusantara, Delft, Holland.Measurements: 16 cm high.
