Golf Player (Monumental Figure)
Museum-grade artifact
20th Century
Indonesia
Certificate of Authenticity
Indonesia
A monumental figure resolved through rotation, counterbalance, and controlled anatomical articulation.
Description
The figure is captured at the completion of a golf swing, its structure organised around a pronounced rotational axis. Weight is anchored in the forward leg, while the rear leg lifts slightly, fixing the moment immediately after impact. The torso twists through the waist into the shoulders, carrying movement upward into the arms.
The club extends horizontally behind the head, forming a counter-axis to the rotation of the body. This opposing line stabilises the composition, holding the tension of the twist in a contained and legible form.
Carved in teak, the body is articulated through continuous transitions rather than segmented modelling. The arms and upper torso are worked with dense, directional incision, creating a striated surface that follows the pull of the musculature. In contrast, the torso and legs are treated more smoothly, allowing volume and mass to read without interruption. This distinction operates structurally, separating zones of tension from those of stability.
The head, rendered with simian features beneath a flat-brimmed cap, is held forward and level. The gaze remains fixed independently of the motion of the club. Inlaid dark glass eyes introduce a discreet material contrast within the otherwise unified wooden surface.
The surface is warm and even, with tonal variation across the teak and light wear along projecting elements consistent with handling.
Context
Produced within a workshop tradition of commissioned carving, figures of this type emphasise technical precision and the translation of movement into stable form.
The subject is contemporary, yet the handling remains rooted in established carving practices. The work is defined by its internal logic: rotation held in tension against a counter-axis, with structural clarity determining the composition.
Provenance
Roberto Lorenzelli Collection, Italy
Collected in Indonesia, 1980
Available on private enquiry.
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