December, 2010

Information on Wooden Mother and Child Statues

Dec 29

Posted by wulf in Miscellanea, Wooden Mother and Child Statues from India | Comments off

“In the last few years, small figures (from India) carved in wood cropped up now and again, usually representing worshipping women, but also female water bearers, mothers, or pregnant women. These pieces are made in the simple traditional manner so as to be affordable for the lower-income strata of the population. And it is precisely the implied simplicity that makes these figures attractive” (Fosshag, 2003, P. 132).

Schmejkal describes the small mother-child statues in the following way: “Carved mother-child-figures with one mother and one to four children were important sculptures in the Indish households. … The contemplation and the dealing with these statues should primarily promote the natural finding of the mother-child-relationship. Signs of usage indicate that they served as childrens’ toys. Similar to the doll in Western countries, children could (in this way) be brought up — in a playful and vivid way — to the mother-child-role. Especially in girls, a wish for children should emerge from this usage. … Nowadays, the collector is rarely granted the privilege to find wooden mother-child-statues in India because, in the worst case, they were used as fuel for heating” (Schmejkal, 2010, p. 188).

Fosshag (2003), on the other hand, argues that these statues did not serve as toys but were “used for devotional purposes within the home, placed there as votive offerings” (p. 139).

Literature

Fosshag, B. (2003). Unknown figurines from India: Votive offerings for the goddess Mauli/Mariai. Art Tribal 04, Winter 2003, pp. 132-147.

Schmejkal, H. (2010). Indien. Volks- und Stammeskunst. Selbstverlag (IBSN 978-3-00-032437-6).

Information on Zanpars (Wooden Mould Sticks)

Dec 11

Posted by wulf in Tribal Art from Nepal and the Himalaya, Zanpars (Wooden Mould Sticks from Tibet) | No Comments

Robert BRUNDAGE describes these objects in the following way: “Carvings of myriad ritual implements, animals, deities and demons are skillfully rendered in miniature. … Intricately carved images of esoteric ritual objects, demonic spirits and Buddhist protectors were carved into wooden sticks called Zanpar (zan-spar). Tsampa (barley meal and yak butter dough) was pressed into the appropriate images to produce ritual sacrificial offerings (T. glud) for good fortune and protection from malevolent spirits that often create disorder.”

Reference: Robert Brundage (http://www.artyeti.com/)

Paul MORSE on wooden mould sticks: “Dough molds were used in Tibetan popular rituals to make dough effigies … The ritual is a form of protection, exorcism, or ransom. The molds would be carried from a monastery by a trained monk to the home of anyone who wished to cure sickness or to deal with various misfortunes. The practitioner could chose from the dozens of small inscriptions on the board to identify the type of obstacle to be dealt with, be it human, animal, bird, supernatural, or symbolic. This accounts for the great number of carved images found on a single board. He then places a ball of dough (tsampa flour and water) onto the appropriate incised images, presses it to form an images of the objects and then places them on an offering plate located on a specially constructed altar. Chants by the practitioner expedite the transfer whatever impediments he discovered into the dough effigies.”

Reference: Paul Morse (http://www.trocadero.com/pmorse/)