GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The posture, raised tail, open eyes, and bared teeth of this wooden monkey sculpture signify vigilance. This carving was originally attached to a tall post or a beam and was part of a group of sculptures that once adorned a great clan house. The downward-focused gaze suggests the animal stood watch, ready to warn against approaching harm or calamity.
In the past, the carved imagery on wall panels, beams, and posts of the great clan houses reflected the Ono Niha’s religious and cultural ideas about the cosmos and their place in it. The upper world and underworld were clearly distinguished by their inhabitants. Fish and crocodiles, for example, lived in the underworld. Their images were depicted on the large stone tables set up in front of a house. In contrast, birds and monkeys, which tend to settle in trees, were associated with the sky or upper world. Images of these animals appeared on the roof section of a house.
In the past, the carved imagery on wall panels, beams, and posts of the great clan houses reflected the Ono Niha’s religious and cultural ideas about the cosmos and their place in it. The upper world and underworld were clearly distinguished by their inhabitants. Fish and crocodiles, for example, lived in the underworld. Their images were depicted on the large stone tables set up in front of a house. In contrast, birds and monkeys, which tend to settle in trees, were associated with the sky or upper world. Images of these animals appeared on the roof section of a house.
Excerpt from
Roslyn Adele Walker, Ph.D., Senior Curator, The Arts of Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific, The Margaret McDermott Curator of African Art, DMA Label copy, June 2013.
NOTES
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
n.d.: Dr. Jamaluddin S. Hasibuan, North Sumatra
1981: Steven G. Alpert, Dallas, Texas, purchased from above
mid 1980s: Private collection
1998: Steven G. Alpert, Dallas, Texas, purchased from above
1999: Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc., purchased from above [1]
Note:
The main source of this provenance is the collection history listed in the Acquisition Proposal in the Collections Records object file.
[1] Works of art given or purchased by The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc., a non-profit organization, are placed in the custody of the DMA for the purpose of public display on the premises of the Museum or in other recognized art galleries or museums. The title to all works of art purchased (or otherwise acquired) by the McDermott Art Fund remains with the Fund.
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
apply to objects where number equals 1999.182.McD
Category
rules_operator
AND
General Description
The posture, raised tail, open eyes, and bared teeth of this wooden monkey sculpture signify vigilance. This carving was originally attached to a tall post or a beam and was part of a group of sculptures that once adorned a great clan house. The downward-focused gaze suggests the animal stood watch, ready to warn against approaching harm or calamity.
In the past, the carved imagery on wall panels, beams, and posts of the great clan houses reflected the Ono Niha’s religious and cultural ideas about the cosmos and their place in it. The upper world and underworld were clearly distinguished by their inhabitants. Fish and crocodiles, for example, lived in the underworld. Their images were depicted on the large stone tables set up in front of a house. In contrast, birds and monkeys, which tend to settle in trees, were associated with the sky or upper world. Images of these animals appeared on the roof section of a house.
In the past, the carved imagery on wall panels, beams, and posts of the great clan houses reflected the Ono Niha’s religious and cultural ideas about the cosmos and their place in it. The upper world and underworld were clearly distinguished by their inhabitants. Fish and crocodiles, for example, lived in the underworld. Their images were depicted on the large stone tables set up in front of a house. In contrast, birds and monkeys, which tend to settle in trees, were associated with the sky or upper world. Images of these animals appeared on the roof section of a house.
Excerpt from
Roslyn Adele Walker, Ph.D., Senior Curator, The Arts of Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific, The Margaret McDermott Curator of African Art, DMA Label copy, June 2013.
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
n.d.: Dr. Jamaluddin S. Hasibuan, North Sumatra
1981: Steven G. Alpert, Dallas, Texas, purchased from above
mid 1980s: Private collection
1998: Steven G. Alpert, Dallas, Texas, purchased from above
1999: Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc., purchased from above [1]
Note:
The main source of this provenance is the collection history listed in the Acquisition Proposal in the Collections Records object file.
[1] Works of art given or purchased by The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc., a non-profit organization, are placed in the custody of the DMA for the purpose of public display on the premises of the Museum or in other recognized art galleries or museums. The title to all works of art purchased (or otherwise acquired) by the McDermott Art Fund remains with the Fund.
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1999.182.McD
source file
object_notes_4_c-0145.xml.nores