The East Indies Museum is an online museum exhibiting an eclectic array of traditional artworks from insular southeast Asia, Singapore

This vast area encompassing the Malay, Indonesian and Philippine archipelagos, was for centuries informally known as the East Indies and includes the modern-day nations of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Timor Leste. 

We would like to dedicate this endeavor to the artists and craftsmen who designed and created these remarkable works - especially the men and women who labored in obscurity and whose names will never be known.

PENDING

Belt Buckle

Palembang, Sumatra, Indonesia 19th C

Gold and mica face, backed with copper 

19 x 9.2 cm

Private Collection

IDN: 103-187-1477

--

The purpose of our library is to highlight books relating to the traditional arts from southeast Asia and to introduce new titles as they become available.

--

KUMARA

Bali, Indonesia

Acquired in Central Java

Late 19th/Early 20th C.

Wood, pigments

50 cm

The East Indies Museum

IDN: 19-698-1226

Initially, we described this piece as a Kinnari which is a celestial half-woman, half-bird statue found throughout SE Asia and India. Its male counterpart is referred to as a Kinnara. However, we have received comments from both Bruce Carpenter and Garrett Solyom - two widely recognized scholars of Balinese culture - that this piece actually originates from Bali and is called Kumara. Kumara's are used to hang nearby a newborn's bed and protect the child from evil spirits. Since this piece has a striking similarity to a Kinnari, there may be a connection between the two.

--

Although there has long been keen interest in the arts and crafts of Indonesia, until recently, scant attention was given to the folk art of Java and Madura.  In contrast to the more well-known artworks from the classical Hindu and Buddhist periods - and later from the royal courts of Java - folk art pieces were made by common villagers for their own use as utilitarian or decorative objects.  The designs were usually influenced by ancient traditions and the objects were always made with inexpensive, locally-available materials.  Many pieces are quite unconventional and express an authenticity and dynamism that is at once colorful, mysterious and surprisingly offbeat.  To some, these works may appear quaint and provincial - to others they reveal the natural inclination of many Javanese and Madurese villagers to give character and beauty to whatever they make.  

--

fonte: @edisonmariotti #edisonmariotti

http://www.eastindiesmuseum.com/

Cultura e conhecimento são ingredientes essenciais para a sociedade.

compartilhe!