Footnotes

印尼 一九八零年代 印尼哇揚偶戲人物—白象與馬

PROPERTY FROM AN IMPORTANT PRIVATE COLLECTION

Provenance:
Private Collection, Indonesia


Wayang (shadow puppetry) is one of the oldest and most treasured heritage in Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia. Better known as Wayang Kulit (buffalo hide) in Indonesia, the craft has been preserved by the UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2003. Wayang Kulit is typically performed by casting the shadow of the puppet onto a white cloth and played by a Dalang (puppeteer) on a gedebog (banana trunk base). The puppets are adorned with stylized perforations to create a certain dimensionality on its silhouette. Wayang Kulit itself has developed over time and is used to narrate a range of stories from Hindu epics to contemporary political issues.

Lots 59 – 61 present the oldest archetype of Wayang in Indonesia: Wayang Kulit Purwa (first) that could be traced as early as 11th century Java. The craft has been preserved by and performed in the Surakarta sultanate palace, portraying the Hindu epics of Ramayana and Mahabaratha that has been infused with Javanese traditions. Wayang Kulit Purwa depicts more than 200 characters in the epics and Bonhams is pleased to present 5 rare Wayang Kulit Purwa this season: Limbuk and Naga (Lot 60), Kuda Tunggang (saddle horse) and Gajah Liar (wild elephants) (Lot 61), and Gunungan (Lot 59).

In the episodes in which the figure of the princess is portrayed, there stands a peripheral yet significant figure of her abdi (royal servant), Limbuk (Lot 60). Its presence in the performance is marked with her signature voluptuous figure and thunderous voice complete with her sharp wit and humour. Limbuk represents an underestimated but strong female figure in Wayang performance whose friendship and loyalty to the princess meet no bounds.

Other integral figures in Wayang are the animals. The deity and human figures in Wayang Kulit Purwa are rendered incomplete without their vehicles and companies – the animals. Naga (dragon) (Lot 60), Kuda Tunggang (saddle horse) and Gajah Liar (wild elephant) (Lot 61) are used as a visual cue for the audience to contextualise a specific scene: the deities in the sky, the travelling heroes and the scene in a forest – among others. The animal puppets illustrate the great extent of details and subtlety that Wayang captures which render the sophistication and the intricacy of the craft itself.