AFRICAN ART OF BEAUTY, MYSTERY
An exhibition of African art at LACMA traces a line running between sight and insight.
By Christopher Knight. LA Times, June 27, 2017.
For direct link to the article, please go to:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-inner-eye-lacma-20170624-htmlstory.html
ANCIENT TEMPLE REVEALS SKULL CULT
Study of bone fragments, most of the head, found at the Goebekli Tepe site in southern Turkey, reveals many evidently carved by stone tools.
By Deborah Netburn. LA Times, July 1, 2017.
For a direct link to the article, please go to:
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-skull-cult-cuts-20170628-htmlstory.html
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Sunday, June 11, 2017
ATADA CULTURAL PROPERTY SYMPOSIUM REPORT
ATADA (Antique Tribal Art Dealers Association) sponsors:
CULTURAL PROPERTY SYMPOSIUM - A PATH TO HEALING
Paradigm Shift - Art Dealers Partner with Tribes on Returning Sacred Objects.
For report, please go to this link:
https://www.atada.org/atada-blog/2017/6/7/symposium-report
CULTURAL PROPERTY SYMPOSIUM - A PATH TO HEALING
Paradigm Shift - Art Dealers Partner with Tribes on Returning Sacred Objects.
For report, please go to this link:
https://www.atada.org/atada-blog/2017/6/7/symposium-report
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
FOLLOW UP TO PREVIOUS POST: "A LYNCHING IN PARIS"
Follow up to “A Lynching in Paris”. October 2013.
While in Paris for the Parcours des Mondes tribal show this
year, I was able to meet with Bertrand Claude, the owner of the famous (or
infamous) Dayak sculpture condemned at the same show in 2013. He graciously provided another
opportunity to view the statue in a private setting. I was curious to have this additional inspection, three
years later, to determine if time had changed my opinion of the piece.
Despite the nearly overwhelming positive response to my
original blog post, “A Lynching in Paris”, and the lack of any proof that the
piece was a fake, very few in the tribal art market were willing to publicly
support its authenticity. Many will
still claim, “they don’t know for sure”, to avoid taking a side in the
controversy.
It is a sad fact in this business that as little as one
negative off-hand comment made about an obviously authentic object, let alone a
targeted barrage of criticism, can send many collectors (and dealers) into a
panic. Too many pieces are deemed
suspect because too many in the market form opinions with their ears and not
their eyes. I admit to this flaw
as well and have certainly passed on good pieces because I listened instead of
looked. Sometimes the negative
buzz is spot on, so it is important to pay attention, but ultimately, we should
form our own opinions using logic and observable facts first,
before listening to the surrounding noise.
That said I was off to revisit the piece. The sculpture was placed at the end of an
open hallway, bathed in low light.
I have to say that once again I had the same “blink” moment, or gut
reaction, that I had in the Schoffel-Valluet gallery basement in 2013. The piece dominated the space,
emanating power and menace, just as any traditional Dayak guardian figure is
meant to do.
Having no need to rush this time, I was able to carefully
examine the piece from every angle, repositioning it to catch the light from
all sides. Everything about the
surface indicated an ancient and naturally eroded process. Reviewing all of the negative arguments,
I found no “smoking gun” that would indicate this piece was a forgery.
Additionally, I was able to take a close look at the top of
the head of the figure, to check a feature I missed in 2013. Aside from the convincing erosion
pattern, I found the remains of a rectangular shaped post, projecting
upwards. I have come across this
exact feature, often with a similar erosion pattern, on many other older Dayak
figures. Assuming the original
post section was taller, this often indicates the sculpture was once part of a
structure and likely supported a crossbeam or plank. It is common among the Kayanic groups of Eastern Kalimantan
to carve guardian figures into support posts that held up funerary (or other
ritual) platforms or crypt houses.
Another possibility, assuming top post was originally shorter, is that
it was used to hold a valuable brass gong.
Regardless of its intentional use, it is a common feature
found on traditional sculptures of this type. In my opinion this adds weight to the argument in favor of
authenticity.
It’s unlikely that the doubters will change their minds or
the supporters to speak up loud enough to make a difference, but it is still my
honest opinion that not only is this wood sculpture authentic, it is an
important work of Borneo art.
It should be resurrected and placed in an honored position in the
Kayanic Dayak art canon.
Mark Johnson
December, 2016
December, 2016
Note to readers of this blog. Bertrand Claude has put together a website (in French and
English) that includes the known history of this amazing sculpture. He discusses the original find, the
purchase in Indonesia, the scientific evaluation, the journey taken up to and
through the time it was offered at the gallery in Paris, and lastly, the
aftermath of opinions. A
fascinating read. Please go to: http://scienceandtribalart.com/
Monday, September 19, 2016
Article from Los Angeles Times
Indigo Dye: An Ancient History
A 6,000 year-old fabric from Peru is the earliest known example of staining textiles blue.
By Deborah Netburn. Saturday, September 17, 2016.
For the direct link, please go to:
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-oldest-indigo-dye-20160915-snap-story.html
A 6,000 year-old fabric from Peru is the earliest known example of staining textiles blue.
By Deborah Netburn. Saturday, September 17, 2016.
For the direct link, please go to:
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-oldest-indigo-dye-20160915-snap-story.html
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
News Article in Los Angeles Times
A LINK TO 'HOBBIT' ANCESTORS
New fossils found in Indonesia may provide a direct connection to the small human relative.
By Deborah Netburn, LA Times, June 11th 2016.
For direct link, please go to:
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-small-hominin-fossils-20160608-snap-htmlstory.html
New fossils found in Indonesia may provide a direct connection to the small human relative.
By Deborah Netburn, LA Times, June 11th 2016.
For direct link, please go to:
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-small-hominin-fossils-20160608-snap-htmlstory.html
Sunday, March 6, 2016
QUESTIONS ABOUT CARBON DATING
QUESTIONS ABOUT CARBON DATING
I want to make a few comments
about carbon dating, especially as it relates to wood sculptures from Borneo
Island, as there is a renewed debate on this subject. I find the use of carbon dating important for understanding
the pre-history and evolution of Dayak art, so I thought it prudent to add my
voice to the discussion. Below are my responses to questions about the carbon
dating process that I hear most often, some from skeptics and others from the
merely curious.
Carbon dating is an accepted and peer reviewed scientific process used by the relevant academic disciplines since the 1950s as one of the primary methods to estimate the age of once living organic materials. When a living organism dies, it stops taking in new carbon. Simply put, the process measures the difference between the remaining amounts of decaying carbon compared to the amounts of stable carbon in the sample. The result produces an estimate of the time that has passed since the organism died.
The process does not reveal a precise date, but can give a fairly accurate date range, especially on objects older than a few hundred years. It can also measure the carbon produced from the above ground testing of atomic weapons, beginning at the end of WWII (rounded off to 1950). Results before 1650 (prior to the Industrial Revolution) and after 1950 (the Atomic Era) are reasonably accurate. The roughly 300 years in between does create some problems for precision as the introduction of massive amounts of artificial carbon from the burning of coal and other fossil fuels has skewed the results, often giving several date ranges. These results need further examination and research to determine likely age estimates.
The process is fairly
straightforward and based on actual scientific principles. There are some limitations of course, but used properly, the
results are honest and informative.
I contacted Mike Sim of
Rafters radiocarbon lab in New Zealand and this is what he had to say:
“What we and most reputable radiocarbon labs do
is participate in international ‘ring tests’, where all labs get the same
samples. We process and measure
them and then report those results back to an independent person who collates
and determines the consensus values and how each lab compares to the consensus
values. We also carry out
measurements using known standards (some international and some specific to us)
that are processed in the same manner as the unknown sample from our clients. We have participated in all of the
‘intercomparisions’ that have been carried out so far.
This link will take you to a PDF article about inter-comparisons. It mentions the
5th inter-comparison (FIRI) and we have recently undertaken
measurements of samples for the 6th inter-comparison (SIRI). These exercises take about 2.5 years to
complete.
http://www.pages-igbp.org/download/docs/newsletter/2006-3/science_highlights/Scott_2006-3%287-9%29.pdf
According to Mike Sim and the
report above, most of the labs and most of the results fall into an acceptable
consistent range. There are some
outliers of course, but they are a statistically small group.
In my personal experience, both times I had the same piece sampled by two different labs, the results were the same.
One of the oddest skeptic's
claim is that dealers somehow obtain different results from those obtained by
academics and museums. Some have even suggested that dealers are able to
buy positive results! Addressing the first claim: the same process dealer’s use is the exact
same process museums, anthropologists, geologists, and others use. The
samples are taken in the same way and the testing is done in the same labs. The results are the same regardless of
who initiated the test or their motivation for doing so.
All of the dealers I know are just as
interested in achieving honest results as academics. To maintain the “chain of evidence”, confirming the sample
tested is from the piece in question and that the sample was removed properly,
a qualified third party performs the procedure. The best solution is to have a staff member from the
radiocarbon lab or conservators at one of the local museums take the sample. With very few exceptions all of my
colleagues arrange to have samples taken in this manner.
Granted, some collectors and
dealers misread the data and draw an incorrect conclusion, usually leaning to
the oldest possible date, but that is not the fault of the lab or the carbon
dating process. It is important to review the full test result, including
the calibration page, to achieve the proper interpretation.
The second claim is so
insulting and ridiculous, that it barely deserves attention, but in case it is
not clear, no radiocarbon lab or staff member, nor any dealer I know, would ever risk
their reputation and careers to manipulate the sampling process or test
results, period.
It does seem unlikely wood
could last so long in the harsh jungle environment. As a non-durable
product, it should erode and rot away when exposed to the elements over time.
The short answer is, it does of course. If you leave any organic
materials, including wood, out in the open and exposed to rain, wind, heat, mold, bacteria, and
insects, eventually the material will degrade and decay. But, there are
notable exceptions and conditions for preservation, especially objects made from ironwood
(or similar hardwoods), a wood so hard and dense that it is virtually insect
resistant. Because ironwood is considerably more durable than other woods,
it is favored by Dayak sculptors for longhouse and crypt house support posts,
floor planks, panels, ladders, and roof shingles, as well as protective
statues, decorative finials, and ancestral shrines, including ossuaries, and reliquaries.
The primary enemy of ironwood
is water, so left exposed to the elements, especially to the regular downpours
in the rain forest, this constant pounding will slowly but surely break open the
tough wood grains and erode away the interiors and surfaces of sculptures and structures,
usually from the top down. These "outdoor" objects rarely last more than a few hundred
years and will eventually erode back into the jungle floor. With few
exceptions, the carbon dating record supports this view. Most outdoor pieces that have been tested are rarely older than 300 to 400 years. And those few
exceptions that are older, may have been objects placed in more protected locations
(for example: under the eaves of the longhouse),
reducing the amount of exposure to harsh conditions.
Most Dayak villages and
funerary structures are placed along riverbanks, which are subject to flooding
and mudslides, so it is not unusual for objects to fall into the water.
If exposed to the constant flow of gritty sandy river water, grinding
away at the surfaces over time, the softer areas between the harder grain edges
will erode leaving long deep channels, often over the full length of all sides
of the object. Many of these objects are eventually recovered when rivers
shift course or water levels drop during dry spells. Occasionally,
fishermen recover old objects, snagged in their fishing nets. It could be
assumed the constant grinding would destroy these sculptures over time.
But, how much time? What we are finding via carbon dating is the
majority of eroded “river pieces” that have been tested, seem to fall into an
average age range of about 100 to 300 years old with a max of 500 years.
Based on the time it takes to erode an outdoor sculpture, I believe this
is a reasonable age range for extremely hard wood objects found under these
conditions.
What about ironwood objects recovered from protected locations, such as dry caves and covered cliff ledges, or buried deep in the river mud (not subject to the constant grinding of gritty water)? Free from contact with the harsher environment and destruction from insects, it could be logically assumed these ironwood sculptures would survive for much longer periods of time. Not surprisingly, the carbon dating record supports this view. C14 results on these objects, are coming back with very early dates and in most cases, providing consistent dating ranges within specific ancient looking styles. For example, it is now common to get 900 to 1200 year old dates on one type of archaic looking cave guardian figure (see left image). As might be expected, on a slightly less archaic looking style with a more refined face, carbon dates are in the 600 to 900 range (see right image). Another group of recent discoveries, mostly objects found in western Borneo (often found buried in mud) are coming back with dates in the 2000 to 3500 year range.
Pre-Austronesian peoples have lived on
Borneo for as long as 40,000 years and Austronesian peoples (proto-Dayaks) appear to have
migrated to Borneo as early as 4000 years ago (new DNA studies suggest a much earlier timeline). Aside from this latest
round of testing by tribal art dealers, other very early wood objects were found in caves in northern
Sarawak and Brunei in the 1950s, 60s and 70s and carbon dated by Tom Harrisson, the
first curator of the Heritage Museum in Kuching. He documented boat shaped
coffins that were roughly 1000+ years old, as well as other wood fragments and
objects dating back thousands of years.
Additionally, this skepticism about how old wood can survive ignores the reams of accepted data that less durable woods, several thousand years old, have been discovered in Egyptian, Chinese, and Central Asian tombs, not to mention perfectly preserved wood logs found in peat bogs that are 25,000 years old. And recent carbon dating, by archaeologists, on organic pigments sampled from cave paintings found in the same dry Borneo caves as the wood ossuaries, are showing results as early as 10,000 years ago! What is more durable, organic pigments or ironwood objects?
What about less durable wood
that is used in some regions of Borneo for funerary objects? There are
many examples carved from "Kayu Aru", a reddish medium density wood,
not as hard as ironwood. You would expect that these objects would not
last as long as ironwood, even in protected locations. And again, the
carbon dating record supports this view. So far, the only recovered Kayu
Aru objects that I am aware of, that were found in protected locations (like
caves) and carbon dated, are not more than about 500 years old. And I have not come across any early examples carved from this wood recovered from rivers or
outdoor sites, where it is likely they would erode relatively quickly. It is clear this wood does decay more rapidly than ironwood
and is easily degraded by insect infestation. This erosion process is of
course faster for even softer woods.
DOES THE DATE OF THE WOOD
CORRESPOND WITH THE DATE OF THE CARVING?
My favorite denier’s argument
is the "old wood" issue. I can’t tell you how many times I have
heard: “You know, the tests only date the age of the wood, not the carving!”
It’s often dropped into the conversation as the ultimate trump card; the
one statement they believe will discredit the whole process, much like the
climate change denier’s cry that global warming is clearly a hoax, because it
snows in winter! And they seem to think they were the first person to reveal this
great truth! My reply: "News flash Brainiac, everyone that uses
carbon dating to test wood already knows this and has addressed the
issue."
All of the evidence I have
ever come across indicates that indigenous artists with easy access to trees
would only use new, clean wood to carve traditional objects. This is
certainly true on the island of Borneo, an extremely tree rich environment, where Dayak carvers would never use or need to use an old piece
of wood to create an important sacred or ritual object*. First, it is
important to transfer the living spirit of the tree into the living spirit of
the sculpture with the process of tree selection and removal steeped in ritual.
Second, there is a practical element: freshly cut ironwood is much
easier to sculpt, especially when cutting in the fine details. Carving
old, dried ironwood is extremely difficult as it is brittle and splinters easily.
Since its clear to anyone familiar with the sculpting process on Borneo Island;
that traditionally carved ironwood objects (or pieces made from other woods)
would have only been carved from recently cut trees, the date of the carving
does in fact correspond to the date of the death of the tree.
*The only exceptions I am
aware of are small found objects, like plant roots or oddly formed
bamboo sections, and perhaps uniquely shaped burls that appear to have an existing anthropomorphic or zoomorphic
shape. Dayaks might see some magical quality in these objects and then
enhance the appearance with a little bit of carving. I don’t believe
anyone is bothering to carbon date these objects.
Another angle on the old wood
argument is that contemporary carvers use old pieces of wood to make fakes, so
when tested would appear to be ancient objects. In theory it is possible
that a good carver could create a reasonable looking fake from old wood, that might pass muster with inexperienced buyers. Aside from the difficultly
of carving pieces correctly in the traditional style (something rarely
accomplished by modern craftsmen) and creating the same cut marks achieved on fresh wood, their biggest obstacle is recreating a
natural looking ancient eroded surface on the freshly cut or re-carved sections.
So far, I have not come across a good fake of an ironwood object, where
the forger tried to duplicate a naturally eroded surface that was undetectable.
Someone once told me “what man can make, man can fake!” I agree that man made objects can be duplicated. For example art forgers can reformulate an old style of pigment and then paint on a cleaned old canvas to create a reasonable looking antique painting. They might be able to do a few tricks to simulate age by cracking the paint and applying layers of dust. Most of these fakes are eventually detected. But, is it easy to fake what nature does to wood over long periods of time? When it comes to ironwood sculptures, I still find it extremely unlikely that a forger can successfully duplicate a natural looking ancient erosion layer on a freshly re-cut surface. Despite the often-repeated claim by some dealers that this has happened, I have yet to see a proven example.
It is very important to note
that the vast majority of Borneo objects with early carbon dates are pieces
already accepted as authentic and traditionally used with obvious age. Without
the carbon date, these pieces were never under suspicion, even by the most
skeptical dealer or collector. And
many of these pieces were collected long before the recent slew of carbon
dating on Indonesian wood sculptures and therefore before contemporary fakers made even
their first modest attempts at trying to fool the market. With few
exceptions the owners initiated the majority of these tests only to get
better estimates of the actual ages on known authentic objects.
Another issue concerns the
area on the object where the sample is removed for testing. This is an
understandable concern, one I shared (and still consider). It's generally
understood that as a tree grows, the inner core (or heart) dies off as the life
of the tree pulses through the outer, newer rings. Therefore a sample
taken from inner part of the tree will date earlier than a sample taken from
the outer edge of the tree. Whenever possible the vast
majority of samples are deliberately removed from the part of the wood
sculpture that represents the outer most part of the original tree.
Assuming the sculpture is roughly the shape and diameter of the original
tree selected for carving, this makes for a much more accurate result.
On the island of Borneo, the
process for selecting the proper tree, does indeed consider the size ultimately
needed for the finished product. Practically speaking, selecting the
smallest tree possible makes sense, because cutting down a larger tree than
needed requires unnecessary extra work. On virtually all medium-scale to large-scale
sculptures, confirming this part of the process is easily observed. Ossuaries,
panels, support posts, and guardian or ancestral sculptures (Patong) are
clearly in the same rough scale and diameter of the original tree. With
very few exceptions, taking the sample form the point on the object, farthest
from the point that would have represented the center of the tree, will yield a
fairly accurate result that conforms closely to the time of death of the tree.
Even if the sample were mistakenly taken from an area nearer to the
center, the difference in age would not be that significant (see below).
Setting aside the larger
objects, there are smaller Dayak sculptures that appear to be carved from the
harder heartwood. Assuming these pieces were sampled for testing, it is
theoretically possible that the results will skew older than the death of the
tree. I did consider this a potential problem and rarely tested smaller
objects, as I was concerned I would not get an accurate result. I also had to reconsider the results provided by others who tested smaller objects, since I
was unsure where the piece was cut from the original tree. I could
imagine a scenario where a Dayak artist might take a left over section of a
larger ironwood tree to cut a smaller sculpture out of the heartwood.
Because this issue was unresolved, I finally took the time to investigate the growth rate of ironwood trees.
As it turned out, this information was easily found online and several
agricultural sources claim that under normal circumstances ironwood grows an
average of .5 cm in diameter each year. Using this growth rate, it would take
about 200 years for an ironwood tree to grow to a meter in diameter. In my experience, it
is very rare to find sculpted objects on Borneo, including the most massive longhouse
and crypt support posts, the largest ossuaries, or widest panels and doors, to
be more than one meter in diameter. Most often the diameter is
only ⅔ to ⅓ of a meter. Therefore, assuming that normally a tree no larger than one meter in diameter would be cut down for the
majority of sculpting or building projects, using the heartwood of left over
sections of those trees for smaller objects would yield a maximum additional
age of about 200 years. Since the size of the tree is more often less than
a meter and the carved heartwood object larger in diameter than the middle point, the difference is more likely to be much less than 200 years, this
variation is not that significant especially on objects dated more than 500
years old.
I have heard from a couple of skeptics that some of the earliest dates, especially on objects that don’t
appear to be too old or have a style that until now was assumed to be later,
must have been contaminated with some older organic materials that skewed the
results, thus making the piece appear earlier. They believe that the wood
must have absorbed older organic materials (for example, while it was buried in
the mud). I asked the former lead scientist at Rafters Lab, Christine Prior,
about this issue. She told me that as part of the normal preparation
process, all of the samples are cleaned and purified of all non-cellulose
materials. They make sure there is nothing but pure cellulose in the
sample, therefore keeping the result to the age of the wood and not to any
other organic materials that may or may not have been present beforehand.
The part of the process is double checked to make absolutely sure the
sample is 100% pure wood. It is unlikely that a sample would be contaminated, resulting in a later date.
*Update: It was recently suggested that specific environmental conditions on Borneo Island may contribute to the early dates on their wood sculptures. The premise is the Borneo rain forest is so densely packed with trees that they expel higher amounts of oxygen and absorb higher levels of carbon. The additional carbon absorption is making the trees appear older when they die. Again, I asked Mike Sim of Rafters if this was possible. He response was that it had no effect on the carbon dating results, as the test measures the difference between the decaying c14 and the stable c13/c12, which would be absorbed in the same ratio, regardless of higher levels of carbon in the region.
A good question and easily
answered. The majority of wood pieces originally selected for carbon
dating in this latest round of testing were a small group of archaic looking
Borneo ironwood figures recovered from caves. My friend and colleague Tom Murray thought it
would be interesting to check the dates of Borneo ironwood sculptures after Ruth
Barnes (the current Yale Indo-Pacific gallery curator) discovered that an Indian trade textile found in Sulawesi came back with a 15th to 17th century date range.
If cotton cloth could survive so long, why not hardwood sculptures? In 1997, Tom had several Dayak sculptures tested. Several of the pieces came back with early dates, including
a 1000-year-old result for a cave guardian figure (of the type shown above on the left).
I admit I had a hard time
believing these dates at first, but did recall that years earlier I had read
several published reports (mentioned above) by Tom Harrisson (the former curator of the Heritage Museum in
Kuching) on carbon dating wood objects found in caves
in northern Borneo. I had filed
that information away and virtually forgotten about the reports, as I did not
see the relevance at that time to the Borneo sculptures currently on the
market. My doubt turned to curiosity when I reviewed those reports,
so I decided I would test several pieces in my collection, especially figures
that were similar to the ones previously tested. And sure enough, I got the
same results. Eventually other colleagues began testing their examples
and were also getting similar date ranges.
It quickly became clear that
ironwood cave figures of specific archaic styles, would likely test very early.
Based on those previous results, the vast majority of additional pieces
selected for testing were similar archaic looking objects, also found in caves,
river mud, or other potentially protected sites. And the ages were often similar, so the age curve was
naturally skewed to early results.
Eventually, other pieces,
such as outdoor ironwood posts, river pieces, and other figures carved from less
durable woods were added into the mix, with the expected later results.
It was rare for anyone willing to pay the fees for carbon 14 tests to bother
with more conventional objects, especially of modest value or appeared
no older than the 19th century. Obviously, if we tested ever single
object in our collections or inventory, we would find that the vast majority
of the pieces would be no older than the 19th century and many from the early
to mid 20th century. Since those of us paying for carbon dating concentrated
our efforts on archaic looking pieces with likely early dates (based on
previous results and experience), naturally we were (and still are) getting a
much higher rate of results with early age ranges.
We should consider carbon
dating as just one tool in the research toolbox. We are selling art, not
age, so the focus should always be first on the quality and rarity of the
object, second on the condition, and lastly on the estimated age. But, when considering age, I find
carbon dating very useful for clarifying dates on pieces that we already assume
are authentic and likely to be early examples. I find it useful for estimating
the likely age of pieces where the age was not obvious visually. And it
can be useful when reconsidering authenticity if a result comes back with a
post “Atomic Spike” (1945 or later) when you were expecting an earlier date.
The good news is, results earlier that about 1650 and later than 1950 are reasonably accurate.
The bad news is, results within that 300-year window are not as accurate,
so additional information (such as provenance, stylistic issues, and surface
examination) is needed to bring more clarity to the estimated dates.
That all said, I am also not in favor of taking every single carbon 14 result on face value. As much as I accept the science and believe that many of these Dayak sculptures are in fact quite old (enough results are in to make this point), some potential anomalies need to be reconsidered. It is still possible the original results are valid, but when a specific piece doesn’t seem to fit logically in the time line, it should be set aside for additional research or at the very least note that there are still questions. As mentioned earlier, there will always be a few outliers, but that doesn't make the bulk of the data inaccurate.
For example, as mentioned
above, there are several recently dated pieces that were coming back with very
early age results, roughly 2000 to 3500 years old. The majority of these
objects are reported to be coming from northwestern Borneo, which makes perfect sense,
as this area would be a logical entry point for Austronesian peoples arriving
from Southeast Asia (the other entry point would be the north-eastern tip, near
the southern Philippines). Current academic theories presume that
Austronesian people started their outwards migration from Formosa Island and southern China into the western Pacific about 5000 years ago. They could have easily landed on parts of coastal Borneo soon afterwards. So these dates
fit in nicely with a time period when "proto-Dayaks” were migrating
through the area. But, not every single piece in this group looks that
ancient or has an iconography that seems archaic in my opinion, so I am not
clear if they fit properly into the time line. Perhaps they do, but until I find more
information to collaborate the early iconography, I remain open to further
discussion.
In another example, studies of the
Kayanic Dayak people (Kayan, Bahau, Modang, etc) indicate they arrived on the north coast of Borneo (near present day Brunei) about 1000 to 1500 years ago and then migrated into eastern Kalimantan. The vast majority of carbon date results on their objects, tested so far,
fit very nicely into a reasonable and logical time line, that conforms with the
observable evolution of styles, surfaces, and conditions where they were
found.
Regardless of how c14 tests
are used in the tribal art market, these results are shedding light on an era of Dayak art
that was unknown until very recently. For years, it was assumed that
these Dayak sculptures were not older than a couple of hundreds years at best.
The mantra was “there is no way wood sculptures, even ironwood, could last
that long in the harsh jungle environment!” This led to the erroneous and
now obviously illogical conclusion that the wide ranges of art styles and
eroded surfaces we see today, somehow came about and co-existed only after the 17th or 18th century! We now know that specific types of pieces with specific types of surfaces and
recovered from specific protected locations (caves, ledges, or buried in river
mud) are in fact much older that we once thought. And the data indicates that
certain styles appear to predate other styles and each of these styles often
group into similar time periods. This new data is opening up new
discussions relating to the origins of the earlier styles as they developed
over time into what we ultimately recognize today.
I would have assumed most art collectors, dealers, and academics, a generally well educated and worldly group, are pro-science, but it seems there is a handful of skeptics within the tribal art community who believe that carbon dating wood is a magic trick meant to fool naive collectors or so horribly flawed the results are meaningless. Just as there are climate change deniers, this small, but increasingly vocal group of carbon dating deniers either do not understand or choose to misrepresent the process. Ridiculously, a few of the most vocal critics are dealers who praise carbon dates on their pieces and then hypocritically condemn similar dates on their competitor’s pieces. They can’t have it both ways. I encounter and confront these anti-science critics from time to time and frankly their negative arguments never hold up, as they are often based on obviously biased opinions and not factual evidence (that doesn’t keep them from continuing to use them). Nor is it always clear why they are obsessed with trying to discredit the process, as a few of these deniers seem to be on a nearly religious mission to condemn its use for dating tribal art.
It has been suggested that this new data must be discounted because it is upsetting previously accepted assumptions, therefore confusing the current scholarship of Dayak art. What's wrong with revising our viewpoint when new data becomes available? New discoveries have always changed the way we look at the world. The Sun does not revolve around the Earth, the Earth is not flat, the universe was not created in six days, humans have existed for longer than 6000 years, and some Dayak wood sculptures are older than a few hundred years. We shouldn't fear these discoveries, but embrace their possibilities.
Mark A. Johnson
2016
IS CARBON DATING REAL
SCIENCE?
Carbon dating is an accepted and peer reviewed scientific process used by the relevant academic disciplines since the 1950s as one of the primary methods to estimate the age of once living organic materials. When a living organism dies, it stops taking in new carbon. Simply put, the process measures the difference between the remaining amounts of decaying carbon compared to the amounts of stable carbon in the sample. The result produces an estimate of the time that has passed since the organism died.
The process does not reveal a precise date, but can give a fairly accurate date range, especially on objects older than a few hundred years. It can also measure the carbon produced from the above ground testing of atomic weapons, beginning at the end of WWII (rounded off to 1950). Results before 1650 (prior to the Industrial Revolution) and after 1950 (the Atomic Era) are reasonably accurate. The roughly 300 years in between does create some problems for precision as the introduction of massive amounts of artificial carbon from the burning of coal and other fossil fuels has skewed the results, often giving several date ranges. These results need further examination and research to determine likely age estimates.
DO DIFFERENT LABS PRODUCE
DIFFERENT RESULTS?
In my personal experience, both times I had the same piece sampled by two different labs, the results were the same.
IS THERE A DIFFERENCE IN THE
RESULTS FOR DEALERS?
HOW IS IT POSSIBLE FOR WOOD
TO LAST SO LONG?
What about ironwood objects recovered from protected locations, such as dry caves and covered cliff ledges, or buried deep in the river mud (not subject to the constant grinding of gritty water)? Free from contact with the harsher environment and destruction from insects, it could be logically assumed these ironwood sculptures would survive for much longer periods of time. Not surprisingly, the carbon dating record supports this view. C14 results on these objects, are coming back with very early dates and in most cases, providing consistent dating ranges within specific ancient looking styles. For example, it is now common to get 900 to 1200 year old dates on one type of archaic looking cave guardian figure (see left image). As might be expected, on a slightly less archaic looking style with a more refined face, carbon dates are in the 600 to 900 range (see right image). Another group of recent discoveries, mostly objects found in western Borneo (often found buried in mud) are coming back with dates in the 2000 to 3500 year range.
It is not just one or two odd
balls, but dozens and dozens of examples, with similar results for similar types. At the time of this writing, no known examples of these similar types, that have been dated, fall outside these age ranges. And more results are added
to the data bank every year.
Additionally, this skepticism about how old wood can survive ignores the reams of accepted data that less durable woods, several thousand years old, have been discovered in Egyptian, Chinese, and Central Asian tombs, not to mention perfectly preserved wood logs found in peat bogs that are 25,000 years old. And recent carbon dating, by archaeologists, on organic pigments sampled from cave paintings found in the same dry Borneo caves as the wood ossuaries, are showing results as early as 10,000 years ago! What is more durable, organic pigments or ironwood objects?
CAN OLD WOOD BE USED ON
CONTEMPORARY CARVINGS TO FOOL THE TESTS?
Someone once told me “what man can make, man can fake!” I agree that man made objects can be duplicated. For example art forgers can reformulate an old style of pigment and then paint on a cleaned old canvas to create a reasonable looking antique painting. They might be able to do a few tricks to simulate age by cracking the paint and applying layers of dust. Most of these fakes are eventually detected. But, is it easy to fake what nature does to wood over long periods of time? When it comes to ironwood sculptures, I still find it extremely unlikely that a forger can successfully duplicate a natural looking ancient erosion layer on a freshly re-cut surface. Despite the often-repeated claim by some dealers that this has happened, I have yet to see a proven example.
DOES THE LOCATION OF THE
SAMPLE ON THE OBJECT AFFECT THE RESULTS?
IS IT POSSIBLE THAT OLDER
ORGANIC SUBSTANCES HAVE CONTAMINATED THE OBJECT MAKING IT APPEAR OLDER WHEN
TESTED?
*Update: It was recently suggested that specific environmental conditions on Borneo Island may contribute to the early dates on their wood sculptures. The premise is the Borneo rain forest is so densely packed with trees that they expel higher amounts of oxygen and absorb higher levels of carbon. The additional carbon absorption is making the trees appear older when they die. Again, I asked Mike Sim of Rafters if this was possible. He response was that it had no effect on the carbon dating results, as the test measures the difference between the decaying c14 and the stable c13/c12, which would be absorbed in the same ratio, regardless of higher levels of carbon in the region.
WHY ARE SO MANY BORNEO
OBJECTS COMING BACK WITH EARLY DATES?
HOW SHOULD CARBON DATING BE
USED IN THE TRIBAL ART MARKET AND ACADEMIA?
That all said, I am also not in favor of taking every single carbon 14 result on face value. As much as I accept the science and believe that many of these Dayak sculptures are in fact quite old (enough results are in to make this point), some potential anomalies need to be reconsidered. It is still possible the original results are valid, but when a specific piece doesn’t seem to fit logically in the time line, it should be set aside for additional research or at the very least note that there are still questions. As mentioned earlier, there will always be a few outliers, but that doesn't make the bulk of the data inaccurate.
CONCLUSION
I would have assumed most art collectors, dealers, and academics, a generally well educated and worldly group, are pro-science, but it seems there is a handful of skeptics within the tribal art community who believe that carbon dating wood is a magic trick meant to fool naive collectors or so horribly flawed the results are meaningless. Just as there are climate change deniers, this small, but increasingly vocal group of carbon dating deniers either do not understand or choose to misrepresent the process. Ridiculously, a few of the most vocal critics are dealers who praise carbon dates on their pieces and then hypocritically condemn similar dates on their competitor’s pieces. They can’t have it both ways. I encounter and confront these anti-science critics from time to time and frankly their negative arguments never hold up, as they are often based on obviously biased opinions and not factual evidence (that doesn’t keep them from continuing to use them). Nor is it always clear why they are obsessed with trying to discredit the process, as a few of these deniers seem to be on a nearly religious mission to condemn its use for dating tribal art.
It has been suggested that this new data must be discounted because it is upsetting previously accepted assumptions, therefore confusing the current scholarship of Dayak art. What's wrong with revising our viewpoint when new data becomes available? New discoveries have always changed the way we look at the world. The Sun does not revolve around the Earth, the Earth is not flat, the universe was not created in six days, humans have existed for longer than 6000 years, and some Dayak wood sculptures are older than a few hundred years. We shouldn't fear these discoveries, but embrace their possibilities.
Mark A. Johnson
2016
Friday, October 30, 2015
NEW PUBLICATIONS
HOW TO MAKE THE UNIVERSE RIGHT:
THE ART OF THE SHAMAN IN VIETNAM AND SOUTHERN CHINA
This catalog presents an extraordinary collection of 300+ painted scrolls, robes, & other ceremonial objects from the Yao, Tay, San Diu, Cao Lan, Nung, San Chay, & other Ethnic Minority People.
Available through Amazon.com. For the direct link, please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0942006127?keywords=barry%20kitnick&qid=1446214218&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1
INDONESIAN TRIBAL ART
Illustrated by more than 400 masterpieces from one of the world's largest private collection. The artwork, collected by Roger Dashow of Boston over a period of 30 years, not only includes many unpublished pieces but also types that have been rarely seen. The book also features ground breaking texts from author Bruce Carpenter.
Available through Amazon.com. For the direct link, please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9814610100?keywords=bruce%20carpenter&qid=1446215215&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1
THE ART OF THE SHAMAN IN VIETNAM AND SOUTHERN CHINA
This catalog presents an extraordinary collection of 300+ painted scrolls, robes, & other ceremonial objects from the Yao, Tay, San Diu, Cao Lan, Nung, San Chay, & other Ethnic Minority People.
Available through Amazon.com. For the direct link, please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0942006127?keywords=barry%20kitnick&qid=1446214218&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1
INDONESIAN TRIBAL ART
Illustrated by more than 400 masterpieces from one of the world's largest private collection. The artwork, collected by Roger Dashow of Boston over a period of 30 years, not only includes many unpublished pieces but also types that have been rarely seen. The book also features ground breaking texts from author Bruce Carpenter.
Available through Amazon.com. For the direct link, please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9814610100?keywords=bruce%20carpenter&qid=1446215215&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1
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