A CARVED WOOD PANEL, PAIWAN, 19TH TO EARLY 20TH CENTURY Taiwan. Of rectangular form, carved in high relief with standing and seated figures under the crescent moon, as well as birds and other animals, including an ibex. Fine, naturally grown patina of deep burgundy color and a smooth feel overall.

Provenance: Old British private collection, by repute acquired before 1980. Hungarian private collection, acquired from the above.
Condition: Very good condition with minor old wear, some weathering and age cracks, small chips and nicks, light scratches, few small losses to edges, the wood slightly warped.

Weight: 1,998 g
Dimensions: Size 43 x 60.5 cm

The Paiwan (Payuan) are an indigenous people of Taiwan, who live in the Central Mountain Range, from Damumu Mountain and the Wuluo River in the north to the Hengchun Peninsula in the south. According to a myth, Paiwan ancestors lived in a location on Dawu mountain (Tawushan) that was called Paiwan, where heaven was said to exist. Paiwan people have spread out from this location, so the name of the original place was assumed as their group name. According to some group members, Paiwan also means ‘human being’.

The social system of the Paiwan consists of three levels: the nobility (aristocrats and landowners), the second-rank nobility, and the ordinary people. Only members of the first rank have the privilege of owning works bearing the sacred motifs of the serpent or the human figure, both considered as representing ancestors. Sculpture is the privileged way for Paiwan aristocrats to distinguish their houses, perceived as the incarnation of the social status, authority, privileges, and existence of a fundamental entity of society.

Literature comparison: Compare a related Paiwan carved wood architectural ornament, 23 by 80 cm, also dated 19^th to early 20^th century, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1987.453.4.

Auction result comparison: Compare a related Paiwan carved wood container lid, 45.1 cm diameter, at Sotheby’s New York in Art of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas on 18 May 2021, lot 35, sold for USD 37,800.

十九至二十世紀木雕排灣族祖靈牌
台灣。長方形，高浮雕或站或坐的月下人物，之間有鳥與其他動物，包括一隻山羊。包漿自然細膩，通體表面光滑。

來源：英國私人老收藏，購於1980年前；匈牙利藏家，購於上述收藏。
品相：狀況極好，有輕微磨損，一些風化和老化裂縫，小磕損和刻痕，輕微劃痕，邊緣少量缺損，木材略微翹曲。

重量：1,998 克
尺寸：43 x 60.5 厘米

拍賣結果比較：比較一件相近的木雕排灣族祖靈牌，直徑45.1 厘米，見紐約蘇富比Art of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas 2021年5月18日 lot 35, 售價USD 37,800。