In Focus

On occasion, unusual metal objects have been found that came from the interior of Borneo. Such objects, along with the Dallas piece, are unique examples of "Dayak" metalwork. However, it remains an open question as to who actually made these objects and whether they are of native or outside manufacture.

The following essay is from the 1989 publication American Furniture in the Bybee Collection, by Charles L. Venable.

The following essay is from the 1989 publication American Furniture in the Bybee Collection, by Charles L. Venable.

This massive gold bracelet is a particularly finely worked example of a Toraja heirloom ornament called komba lola'. Komba means "bracelet"; the name lola'  is also applied to larger examples of this type of ornament, made for display at rituals rather than to be worn.

Throughout Southeast Asia, indigenous tribes have always honored the dead, as well as their ancestors, in elaborate ceremonies. In the case of the most exalted aristocrats, structures were often erected to glorify their memory and hold their remains.

The function of this architectural panel is not clear, but its scale and tapered shape, when compared to more modern forms, suggest that this carving is most likely the central panel from a small mausoleum or shrine house.

On rare occasions unusual carvings have been found in exposed riverbeds or along the muddy banks of the Wahao River and its adjacent tributaries. Usually, this occurs during periods of drought or when the courses of rivers shift. This particular figure was accidentally discovered by two Kenyah when a portion of it became snagged in their fishing nets on a small unnamed tributary off of the upper Telen River.

The following essay is from the 1989 publication American Furniture in the Bybee Collection, by Charles L. Venable.

The following essay is from the 1989 publication American Furniture in the Bybee Collection, by Charles L. Venable.

The design and construction of this desk and bookcase are firmly rooted in English cabinetmaking practices. By the second quarter of the 18th century, craftsmen from London had introduced the important characteristics of the design: a slant-lid desk topped by a bookcase with paneled doors, an arched, broken pediment, ball-and-claw feet, and Greco-Roman architectural details such as Corinthian pilasters.