VCM

magician ritual knife, piso ni datu
couteau cérémoniel "piso ni datu": 70.2001.27.512.1-2

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Why this is a
Masterpiece

Marvellously carved, this datu knife sums up the Toba-Batak universe. It is also one of the very rare sculptures known with inlaid human teeth, one in the head of the singa, and the other in the middle of the rider's chest. The sculptor has given to the singa's human face a great strengh. A frieze of naked human figures animates the top of the sheath. Two intertwined snakes making a braid take part of the vertical dynamic which ends up with the exceptional tension of the rider's curve.

History of the Object: unknown

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Type: Sculpture
Materials: wood, human teeth
Measurements: Height 32,5 cm
Creator name: Toba Batak
Creator date: Unknown
Where it was made: Indonesia; North Sumatra
Geography: Indonesia
Time period: AD 15th century ~ AD 17th century
Creation date: 15th Century - 17th Century; datation carbone 14. Between 1479 and 1673.
Function: This type of knife, very well carved, was the property of the "datu". It was certainly used for cérémonial sacrifice.
Acquisition: Formerly in the Barbier-Mueller collection, Geneva. Acquired by the museum in 2001.
Copyright
Acknowledgements
Owner: Musée du quai Branly
Museum: Musée du quai Branly
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