Borneo - Dayak Beaded Baby Carrier Panel - #191

$4,200.00

Description:

A simple, powerful, late 19th century interpretation of a traditional motif favored by the Kenyah and other Dayak group. A monumental black aso’ or dragon-dog with two heads and two feet is shown in profile, poised atop a pointy black motif which might be a stylized bamboo shoot, emblematic of vital life force. The presence of a single white eye on the left enlivens the creature while emphasizing its ability to stand guard against negative spirits intending to harm a child’s body or soul.
Most if not all of the beads are European, while the threads were handmade by a Dayak woman who painstakingly refined them from indigenous vegetal fibers. The time-worn appearance of the beads suggests that this piece might have been stored high up in the rafters of a Dayak longhouse, potentially subjected to smoke from cooking fires.
The pattern template for this spectacular piece probably consisted of a carved wooden board created by a Dayak man. The beading would have been done by a woman.
Additional photos available upon request.

Provenance:

Condition:

Very good. Beads are dusty and dirty, possibly as a result of the panel’s having been stored high up in the rafters of a Dayak longhouse. A few beads are missing. A one-half inch section in the lower right corner has been repaired with bright yellow beads.

Dimensions:

Comparable Examples:

Hedda Morrison photo, n.d. (ca. 1940s-1960s) of a Kenyah woman beading on a longhouse verandah with several beaded baby carrier panels at her side. Reproduced in Valerie Hector, Evoking the Aso’: Dayak Beaded Baby Carrier Panels with Dragon-Dog Motifs, in Beads: The Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers 34 (2022): 3-21. See Fig. 2.

Published:

Valerie Hector, Evoking the Aso’: Dayak Beaded Baby Carrier Panels with Dragon-Dog Motifs, in Beads: The Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers 34 (2022): 3-21. See Fig. 12 and pages 13-14.

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Description:

A simple, powerful, late 19th century interpretation of a traditional motif favored by the Kenyah and other Dayak group. A monumental black aso’ or dragon-dog with two heads and two feet is shown in profile, poised atop a pointy black motif which might be a stylized bamboo shoot, emblematic of vital life force. The presence of a single white eye on the left enlivens the creature while emphasizing its ability to stand guard against negative spirits intending to harm a child’s body or soul.
Most if not all of the beads are European, while the threads were handmade by a Dayak woman who painstakingly refined them from indigenous vegetal fibers. The time-worn appearance of the beads suggests that this piece might have been stored high up in the rafters of a Dayak longhouse, potentially subjected to smoke from cooking fires.
The pattern template for this spectacular piece probably consisted of a carved wooden board created by a Dayak man. The beading would have been done by a woman.
Additional photos available upon request.

Provenance:

Condition:

Very good. Beads are dusty and dirty, possibly as a result of the panel’s having been stored high up in the rafters of a Dayak longhouse. A few beads are missing. A one-half inch section in the lower right corner has been repaired with bright yellow beads.

Dimensions:

Comparable Examples:

Hedda Morrison photo, n.d. (ca. 1940s-1960s) of a Kenyah woman beading on a longhouse verandah with several beaded baby carrier panels at her side. Reproduced in Valerie Hector, Evoking the Aso’: Dayak Beaded Baby Carrier Panels with Dragon-Dog Motifs, in Beads: The Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers 34 (2022): 3-21. See Fig. 2.

Published:

Valerie Hector, Evoking the Aso’: Dayak Beaded Baby Carrier Panels with Dragon-Dog Motifs, in Beads: The Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers 34 (2022): 3-21. See Fig. 12 and pages 13-14.