A CARVED WOOD WEDDING CUP, PAIWAN, 19TH TO EARLY 20TH CENTURY Taiwan. Carved from a single piece of light wood, the two quatrefoil cups issuing a serpent head to either end, the sides carved in relief with human figures and snake motifs, further decorated with lozenge designs.

Provenance: From a private collection in the United States.
Condition: Good condition with minor signs of weathering, expected age cracks, small chips and nicks, light scratches, few tiny losses, the wood slightly warped. With a fine, dark-brown patina showing ancient wear, indicative of extensive usage.

Weight: 443.3 g
Dimensions: Length 63 cm

The Paiwan (Payuan) are an indigenous people of Taiwan, who live in the Central Mountain Range, from Damumu Mountain and the Wuluo River in the north to the Hengchun Peninsula in the south. According to a myth, Paiwan ancestors lived in a location on Dawu mountain (Tawushan) that was called Paiwan, where heaven was said to exist. Paiwan people have spread out from this place, so the name of the original site was assumed as their group name. According to some, Paiwan also means 'human being'.

The social system of the Paiwan consists of three levels: the nobility (aristocrats and landowners), the second-rank nobility, and the ordinary people. Only members of the first rank had the privilege of owning works bearing the sacred motifs of the serpent or the human figure, both considered to represent ancestors. Sculpture is the chartered way for Paiwan aristocrats to distinguish their houses, perceived as the incarnation of the social status, authority, privileges, and existence of a fundamental entity of society.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 13 May 2019, lot 1
Estimate: USD 2,000 or approx. EUR 2,300 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: Paiwan wedding cup, Taiwan
Expert remark: Note the related size (68 cm)



十九至二十世紀初排灣木雕婚禮碗
台灣，由一塊質地輕巧的木料雕刻而成，兩個葉形杯子連在一起，兩端各有一個蛇頭，側面雕刻人物和百步蛇紋，並飾有菱形圖案。

來源：美國私人收藏。
品相：狀況良好，有輕微風化跡象、老化裂縫、小磕損和木材略微翹曲。帶有細膩的深棕色包漿，有磨損，説明表明廣泛使用。

重量：443.3 克
尺寸：長 63 厘米

排灣族是臺灣原住民族之一，現今的分佈區域主要橫跨中央山脈，北起武洛溪上游大武山一帶，向南延伸至恆春半島。相傳，排灣那裏是天堂。「排灣」意思為「人」，也是排灣族的官方族群名稱。

排灣族的社會制度分為三個層次：貴族（貴族和地主）、二等貴族和普通民眾。貴族以上階級有裝飾上的特權，例如熊鷹羽毛、琉璃珠、特殊圖案（人頭紋、百步蛇紋等）。而人和蛇都被認為是代表祖先。雕塑是排灣貴族區分房屋的特許方式，被視為社會地位、權威、特權和社會基本實體存在的化身。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約邦瀚斯，2019年5月13日，lot 1
估價：USD 2,000（相當於今日EUR 2,300）
描述：排灣木雕婚禮碗
專家評論：請注意相近尺寸(68厘米)。