traditional Balinese wood carving

17 years ago

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In the old market in Sukawati, a district in Denpasar, while everyone else looked for silver jewelry, batik, spices, etc etc, I spent most of an hour haggling over this carving. Made from a single piece of kepelan (magnolia) wood imported from the island of Borneo, the carving is a three-dimensional illustration from the Ramayana, of Khrisna and Arjuna. Well, well, wellÂwhen I got home I reviewed what the epic was about, and it should be actually Rama and his brother LakshmanaÂ?

I hand carried the piece aboard two Singapore Airline planes, from Denpasar to Singapore and thence to Manila. I was afraid to break even just a tiny piece. 19 inches by 19.75 inches.

However, it was this rounded carving of dragons and other tiny creatures, flowers, and plants at the hotel lobby that first caught my eye. Made from a reddish brown piece of hardwood, it is probably 4 feet in diameter.

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Comments (5)

sambac
17 years ago
What a nice find, very intricately done, envy you!!
Ginge
17 years ago
I am just plain jealous, they are beautiful, the first one is my favorite . Gin
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Judybird2014
17 years ago
oh, man, those are incredible!
you took some great pics of them~
sunita
17 years ago
Gerald... right names but wrong epic. That is Krishna and Arjuna riding in to battle against the Kauravas (Arjuna's cousins). However, its not from the Ramayana but from the Mahabharata.
This is a scene which is often depicted in paintings and sculptures because this is when Krishna acting as Arjuna's charioteer delivers what is now known as the 'Bhagwad Gita'. Arjuna was having second thoughts and regrets about fighting against his cousins but Krishna gives him a lot of advice about doing one's duty and not letting sentiment or anything else come in the way of that.
Beautiful piece of work, Gerald. Must say its intriguing to see a Balinese twist to an Indian story.(I'm talking about the clothes, etc.)
Driftless Roots
17 years ago
The skill that goes into these is really impressive. Thanks for sharing them with us.