Figure, One of a Pair
Not on view
One of a pair of matched male and female ancestor figures (itara) from the island of Atauro in Timor-Leste. The figures have angular facial features with small blocked sections indicating eyes, ears, nose and mouth, whose simplicity achieves a remarkable elegance of expression. Though smaller and more simply delineated, the gently contoured planes of the female’s cheeks and mouth give her a particular focused serenity. A knob-like protrusion at the back of her head represents her coiffure. The figures are tied together by a length of cord fiber which passes over the shoulder of the female to wind around the waist of the male figure.
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