Antique Ifugao Woven Shoulder Basket, Rattan, Primitive-Tribal, the Philippines

Description

Introduction:
We
will be putting up for auction ~60 tribal pieces from the tribal regions
in the Philippines, notably from the Mountain Province on Luzon but one or two from Mindanao
. See these in Photos 8, 9, 10, and 11. Most of these antique primitive tribal pieces are from the so-called Ifugao people, the indigenous peoples of the Cordillera in northern Luzon, Philippines. These people are often referred to as the Cordilleran peoples.
We lived in the Philippines for a decade beginning in 1985. Several times we visited the rugged Mountain Province in northern Luzon and the magnificent rice terraces there, north of Bagio City. Our interest in the life of these peoples was piqued, and as a consequence we built up a modest collection of "primitive artifacts." This collection is wide, most is Colonial era of the early 20th century, it includes a magnificent plow, hut ladder, spear, drum, many baskets of various types and utilities, wooden bowls and other wooden objects some with animal or human forms, spoons, textiles, beaded bags, rattan woven hats worn by older men, a rice cutting tool, betel box, gong, and Bulul (rice god) figures on several.
We
purchased most of these piece from 1986
to 1989. Almost all were purchased from highly reputable dealers, for example, The Tribal Arts House of Henry N. Beyer in Manila, Tawalisi Antiques of Maria Roxas in Manila, Tucucan Antiques in Bagio City, Artifact and Baskets of Mary Ngalawen in Manila, Herencia Arts & Antiques in Manila. We also purchased pieces at small local shops in Bontoc, the principal city in the Mountain Province.
Please read
everything, ask questions, and request more pictures.
If you are in Japan, China or the Philippines, and want to bid on a piece, please write to me
before bidding.
The shipping cost does not include for overseas shipping. An adjustment must be made to shipping.
Also, I can combine shipping but the rate needs to reflect the larger shipping box and higher weight.
We will ensure the piece is packed well.
The auction item:
This shoulder or carrying basket is beautifully made and has
has no damage as seen in Photos 1 to 7.
The lines and form are just perfect. The color is a golden brown, darker in recesses and along braiding, but lighter inside where it was not exposed.
The color tone is beautiful, rich.
The woven rattan is exceptionally well done, flawless craftsmanship. See in Photos 1 to 4, the cord weaving. Note, the top part of the basket is held in by this cording, and does not come off of the basket; it allows the basket to be opened without losing the top portion. This piece may not have been used, if so lightly.
Basketweaving was done primarily by men, and one of the most important products from the Mountain Province. Generally baskets aesthetic depends solely on form, material and weave. The differences in weaving technique is always amazing. At it's best these utilitarian baskets are superbly executed and rank among the finest works produced by these Mountain 'artists'.
Of all the pieces we are selling, this one may be 50 to 60 years old, not likely pre-WWII. We've owned it since the mid-1980s, ~40 years. The piece has received very little handling by us, just displayed in our home.
No pets, no smoking.
Our story:
We
lived in the Philippines for nearly a decade beginning in 1985. From
1986 to 1989, we collected a number of old tribal artifacts
. Our
pieces were represented as being from the late 19th century to pre-WWII.
We are now selling these
pieces as we downsize. We
are not experts, we cannot authenticate our
pieces. These pieces, the vast majority at least, look quite old
. We genuinely believe
these are vintage genuine
pieces, each with their own charm. Just holding an item that may be
120 to 70 years old from the Mountain Provence of the Philippines makes for great
conversation.
Two
sources we've relied on are
, "The People and Art of the Philippines", by Father Gabriel Casal, Regalado Trota Jose, Jr. and others, 1981, Museum of Cultural History, University of California, Los Angeles. The second was published in July-August 1983, in Arts of Asia, "Northern Philippines Primitive Wooden Art," by Pynky Gomez Garcia, pages 84-93.
Thank you for looking.