A Delightful Pair of Carved Ancestor/Guardian Figures from Leti Island

An interesting and unusual pair of stylized male and female ancestor or guardian figures sitting on their haunches and eating maize (corn on the cob).  It is very rare to find carvings of this quality or images of people eating food.

They come from eastern Indonesia’s Leti islands and are thought to depict specific deceased individuals and serve as vessels in which their spirit resides temporarily at home before departing for the land of the dead, and to which they periodically return to receive offerings or to be consulted about important matters.

The figures are virtually identical save for the addition of a carved penis on one of them. They are superbly and imaginatively carved in a beautifully-grained and polished hardwood that has acquired a rich golden brown colour and patina over the years.  They are both in virtually perfect condition.

These charming little figures display very well as a pair and look particularly good from above as their heads are tilted back with their bone eyes gazing upwards.  They were purchased in the 1980s from an antique dealer in Bali, Indonesia, and have been in our private collection and displayed at home ever since.