Arts of Borneo Redux

 

Punan Ba’a Wood and Shell Inlaid Baby Carrier
© Sarawak State Museum

 
 
 

Borneo is a magnificent island with a deep and rich history. To inaugurate the Fall season, we are featuring a compilation of eight of our in-house articles that celebrate the artistic genius of the Dayak peoples.

We have placed particular emphasis on the finest old Kayanic arts of Borneo stewarded in public institutions around the world. This feature is also a paean to all of Borneo's some 300 different traditional ethnic groups.

For our readers' enjoyment and edification, our Art of the Ancestors' Borneo Gallery also stands as a testament to some of the finest antique artworks emanating from the world's fifth largest island.

— Steven G. Alpert, founder of Art of the Ancestors

 
 
 
 
 

War Canoe Prow Ornament
© Sarawak State Museum | Malaysia

 
 
 
 
 

Mythical Animal Table Leg
© Yale University Art Gallery | Connecticut, USA

 
 
 
 
 

Figurative Bowl
© Musée du quai Branly | France

 
 
 
 
 

Bahau Saa' or Busang-Bahau guardian figure from the top of a funerary post | Jihe
© Dallas Museum of Art

 
 
 
 
 

Baby Carrier
© Kulturhistorisk Museum Universitetet i Oslo

 
 
 
 
 

Iban Hornbill Figure | Kenyalang
© The British Museum

 
 
 
 
 

© Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen

 
 
 
 
 

Studio portrait of a Dayak with lance and shield.
© Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen

 
 

Explore Our Borneo Gallery

Art of the Ancestors invites you to explore our curated assemblage of Borneo masterworks deriving from global museum collections.

 

Carved Figures for 1899 Peace Treaty between Kenyah, Kayan, and Klemantan Marudi
© Sarawak State Museum | Malaysia

 
 
News 10, Articles Archive 3, CurationsEditorial TeamSteven G. Alpert, Borneo Art, Borneo, Borneo Arts, Borneo Articles