West Borneo, Indonesia
Proto-Dayak, c 3300 - 3100 BC (by radiocarbon testing)

Ironwood, 28 cm

Provenance:
Private collection, France

Recovered from riverine deposits in northwestern Borneo, this proto-Dayak wooden figure has been dated by two independent radiocarbon analyses to 3300–3100 BCE, placing it among the earliest known wooden sculptures in the Indo-Pacific region.
Despite substantial erosion and loss, the figure retains a striking presence. Its compact proportions and frontal stance remain clearly legible, while surviving carving suggests the now-missing arms once projected outward from the chest. The remaining form emphasizes the torso and head, reflecting sculptural conventions associated with early traditions of the region.
The figure combines features that may be read as both male and female, an ambiguity also found in later Bornean visual culture, though its significance in this early context remains uncertain. Particular emphasis is given to the face, whose wide, open expression recalls protective or apotropaic imagery in later Bornean traditions, intended to ward off danger or malevolent forces.