Lidded Pot
Date20th century
Mediumwood, pigment and plant fiber
DimensionsOverall: 14 3/8 x 7 7/8 x 9 1/2 in. (36.5 x 20 x 24.1 cm)
ClassificationsContainers
Credit LineGift of Dr. and Mrs. Bernard M. Wagner
Object number2004.62.2
DescriptionThe equestrian figure carved as the handle of the lid on this blackened wooden pot suggests that it belonged to a datu or priest-diviner and was probably used to contain pupuk (magical substances used in various rituals). The relief carving on the sides of the container may illustrate a myth or various proverbs. The enigmatic imagery consists of four pairs of figures: a dancing (?) man confronting a standing woman, a crouching figure with a bulbous nose confronting a seated dog-like animal, a farmer (?) wearing a hat and carrying a hoe facing another dog-like animal, and a buffalo being herded by a pot bellied man. The carving style of this container has a somewhat crude, almost playful quality found widely in Indonesia and the Philippines on utilitarian objects and wherever narrative rather than iconic imagery is used.
