Jörai Guardian Figure (Kut) from a Funerary House, Vietnam

Philippe Guimiot, Brussels
Freddy Rolin, New York
Christie's, Amsterdam, African and Oceanic Art from the Collection of the Late Baron Freddy Rolin, July 2, 2002, lot 56
Jan Krugier, Monaco, acquired at the above auction

Institut Valencià d'Art Modern, Valencia, El fuego baja las cenizas (de Picasso a Basquiat), May 5 - August 28, 2005
Fondation Dina Vierny, Musée Maillol, Paris, Le feu sous les cendres: de Picasso à Basquiat, October 8, 2005 - February 13, 2006

Institut Valencià d'Art Modern, El fuego baja las cenizas (de Picasso a Basquiat) = Fire under the ashes (from Picasso to Basquiat), Valencia, 2005, p. 128-129
Musée Maillol, Le Feu Sous les Cendres, Paris, 2006, pp. 45 and 147

Good condition for an object of this type. Weathered from exposure, with natural erosion and age cracks as shown in catalogue illustration. Some losses to points around top element. Marks, nicks, scratches, abrasions, chips, and surface losses throughout consistent with age, use, and exposure. Fine aged, weathered dry surface. Fixed permanently to metal base plate.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Discussing a closely related figural post previously in the collection of Fred and Rita Richman, and today in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Capistrano-Baker (1994: 110) notes: "[...] the squatting human figure is a motif widespread in Island Southeast Asia; its meaning has been the subject of much speculation.  The most common interpretation is that it replicates both the burial and the fetal position, thus symbolizing death and rebirth.  Another possible meaning is that, as a position frequently assumed by the living, its use in funerary figures alludes to the continuity of life after death."

She continues (ibid.): "This carved Jörai funerary post [= the Richman post], which portrays a squatting human figure in the knee-elbow-chin position, with elbows resting on knees and hands on chin, is said to represent a follower of the deceased who was sacrificed so that he could continue to serve his master in the afterlife.  It was formerly part of a rectangular funerary house, or pösat, each corner of which was guarded by a similar figurated post, or kut. Crossbeams inserted into the aperture below each kut restricted access to the tomb by forming a kind of fence around the funerary structure.  The carving of the posts was considered a sacred activity, and all other work by artists was forbidden while they were being made.

"The occurence of the squatting figure in central Vietnam is intriguing, for the indigenous peoples, such as the Jörai, are among the earliest known inhabitants of a region that lies in the general direction of ancient migrations that populated the Indochinese peninsula and the Indonesian and Pacific Islands.  One theory proposes that these groups, originating in the northwest, may have been the ancestors of those who came to be known as Indonesians."