896 Antique Dayak Basket Baby Carrier with Beads

Rattan basket with woven bead panels that contain motifs depicting protective spirits. Unique drawing. Several embellishments.

This piece is unique because in most other dayak baby carriers the bead panel is created separately and then the edges are attached to the woven basket. In this case, the design has been created by vertical bead lines, each stitched directly onto the cloth base that is attached to the rattan weave. There is no physical horizontal connector between the vertical lines – making it a unique way of creating the beaded artwork.

This unusual beading style suggests either a specific subgroup origin or from an older period.

The last image (in black & white) clearly shows the motif of a face

Condition not perfect – missing parts / minor damage

Mid 19th century.

Rare

LITERATURE REFERENCE : Photographs of baby carriers being used in real life may be seen on pages 55-56 of the book titled “Borneo – A photographic Journey” by Dennis Lau

Perfect for a Museum

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This item has spent a lifetime being used for the purpose of its creation with the original artist/user. Signs of this life lived heartily may be present on the piece in the form of stains, thread loss, loose threads, holes, tears, color run and other imperfections. Therefore the condition must be assumed to be “not” perfect. More photos of such imperfections will be provided on request.

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