An important 'oda matan' timor house door in exotic hardwood, 170 x 52 cm. (66.93 x 20.46 in.)

An important 'Oda Matan' Timor house door in exotic hardwood Of very heavy wood, these doors were symbolic entrances to the communal house. This house, as in other parts of Southeast Asia, is divided into male and female. This female door, adorned with a stylized image of a woman, has feminine symbols more often distilled, as here, to a pair of breasts above an ornamental panel with labyrinth-like spirals. The curved form above the breasts may represent a headhunter's headdress (buffalo horns), which is more prominent on men's doors.