Antique Collection

Hanoman , Bronze , Central Java , Mataram period , 16th-17th Century








Playing music instrument ( Gamelan ) , Terracotta ,East Java , Majapahit Kingdom Period 12th-14th Century



Playing music instrument ( Gamelan ) , Terracotta, East Java , MajapahitKingdom Period 12th-14th Century



Posted on 04.53 by Lordly Shades and filed under | 2 Comments »

Antique Collections

Prahasto , Giant , wood carving , Wayang klitik , Central Java , early 20th Century
Sangkuni , wood carving , Wayang klitik , Central Java , Early 20th Century
Curtain holder , wood carving , wayang figure , Central Java , Mid 20th Century





Posted on 06.35 by Lordly Shades and filed under | 3 Comments »

Antique Collections

Kresna , wood carving , decoration on the wall , Central Java , Early 20th Century
Kresna , wood carving , Statue in the front of house , Central Java , Early 20th Century
Shinta , wood carving , Wayang Klitik , Central Java , Early 20th Century


Coin , wayang figure , Kresna and Arjuna , bronze , Majapahit Kingdom Period 12th-14th Century



Semar , wood carving , decoration in house


Posted on 05.59 by Lordly Shades and filed under | 2 Comments »

Old Album Photos

Fotoreportage Weekblad d'Orient van de Huwelijksfeesten in den Kraton te Jogjakarta op 8 February 1939






Posted on 05.44 by Lordly Shades and filed under | 1 Comments »

The Wayang Purwa Stories

The Ramayana is essentially a love story, the story of Lord Rama’s search for his beautiful wife, Sinta.

Dasarata, King of Ayodya, had to fulfil a promise to one of his wives and let her son Barata ascend the throne, even though it meant exile to the forest for a son by another wife, his beloved Rama.

Rama, an incarnation of Batara Wisnu, knew that his love and happiness with Sinta was but the prelude to long suffering to enable him to accomplish the duty of Wisnu. Barata, who did not want to see Rama ousted, was therefore unable to persuade Rama to return to Ayodya. And Rama, followed by the faithful Sinta and Laksmana, his inseparable companion and another half-brother, went away and lived in the forest.

They were overtaken by disaster due to Sinta’s over-powering desire for possession of a golden deer seen in the forest. But the deer in reality was sent by the ten-headed demon Rahwana, symbol of man’s lusts. Having tricked both Rama and Laksmana, Rahwana abducted Sinta and bore her off to the island of Alengka. Jatayu, king of the birds, intercepted Rahwana, but was mortally wounded and lived only long enough to tell Rama about Sinta’s abduction.

At long last, the white ape Hanoman discovered where Sinta was hid in the island kingdom. An army of monkeys, led by Sugriwa, built a causeway to Alengka, crossed over, and helped to kill Rahwana. Rama and Sinta were united once more.

But Rama listened to voice doubting Sinta’s purity after so long a captivity. Sinta had to undergo a trial by fire and was saved by Agni, Goddess of Fire, who convinced Rama of Sinta’s purity.
Posted on 12.51 by Lordly Shades and filed under | 3 Comments »

Performance


A Wayang Purwa performance is a complicated compound of very diverse elements. It is a shadow-show and a puppet play requiring the greatest possible dexterity on the part of the dalang, particularly in the fighting scenes. It is a recital of both classical and modern Javanese music, both vocal and orchestral. Further, a number of classical prose poems, known and loved by the Javanese public and composed of the most beautiful language, are declaimed to soft music by the dalang. The performance is enlivened by clowning, often ad lib; and usually some slap-stick. It also contains comment on current affairs, local, national, and even international. In addition to all of which, the point of the entire performance is ethical education and character-building.

The “Eleven-Eleven” system is a good way of describing how all these elements fit together in a performance.

The first “Eleven” is composed of the dramatis personae and the equipment already described above. The second “Eleven” enumerates the audio-visual effects obtained in action. All of the first “Eleven” are visible only from the dalang’s side of the screen, but the second “Eleven” can be better enjoyed from the shadow side.

The two sides of the system are listed as follows hereunder:

Dramatis Personae And Equipment

1 Dalang – The leading artist
2 Niyaga – Musicians
3 Pesinden – Women Singers
4 Wayang – Puppet
5 Kelir - Screen
6 Blencong – Oil Lamp
7 Dhebog – Banana Boles
8 Kotak – Wooden Chest
9 Chempala – Wooden Knocker
10 Kepyak – Metal Rattles
11 Gamelan – Orchestra instruments

Audio-Visual effect

1 Sabetan – Puppet Movements
2 Janturan – Declaimed narration
3 Chariyos – Narration
4 Ginem – Dialogue
5 Suluk – Mood-setting songs
6 Tembang – Songs
7 Dodogan – Knocking sounds on wood
8 Kepyakan – Mettalic Rattling
9 Gending – Melodies
10 Gerong Male Chorus
11 Sindenan – Songs by the pesinden




Posted on 02.00 by Lordly Shades and filed under | 3 Comments »

The Equipment

The equipment needed for a wayang performance includes a screen, a lamp , a base into which the puppets can be stuck so that they stand upright, a large wooden chest, knockers, rattles and a set of gamelan instruments for the orchestra.
Posted on 04.44 by Lordly Shades and filed under | 0 Comments »

The Screen


The screen, or "kelir", is made of white cotton with borders all round it, usually red, but sometimes blue, black, green or even patterned. The border at the bottom, which represents the ground or floor of the “stage”, is 8 to 10 centimeters wide, while the side and top borders are a little wider. Sometimes, there is an ornate but sturdy wooden frame for the screen, decorated with fret – work and serpents running across the top. This frame is equipped with hooks to which the screen is tied and it is also provided with an attachment for the lamp.

Not all of the screen is used for the action. Clearly, the dalang, seated cross-legged in front of the screen, could not manipulate the puppets over so wide an expense. An area in the centre of the screen, about 1.6 meters wide, is left vacant for “ the stage “, whilst puppets not in use are stood up in a row to right and left, with the “good” characters on the dalang’s right and the “bad” ones on his left . The puppets to be used in the play are either placed in the wooden chest on his left or, on the dalang’s right-hand side, in the lid of the chest.
Posted on 04.40 by Lordly Shades and filed under | 0 Comments »

The Lamp


Traditionally, the lamp used for a Wayang Purwa performance burnt coconut oil with a cotton-like wick floating in it, similar in style to oil-lamps known the whole world over in ancient times. But the lamp itself, the container for the oil, or blenchong as it called, is nothing but Indonesian. It takes the form of the mythical Garuda eagle, made of bronze or brass; it has a crowned head, the wings are spread in flight and the tail is raised, so that the light from the wick, which usually issues from the Garuda’s open beak, is all thrown forward onto the screen.

Since the performance lasts for around 9 hours, the oil in the blencong has to be replenished several times, while the wick must be trimmed and lengthened. This is an additional task for the dalang, for the lamp is approximately above his head.

These are good enough reasons for switching to electric lighting, which is also more powerful. But, if the shadows are therefore more distinct, so that they can be seen from a greater distance by a larger audience, the quality of the shadows is changed. The depth of shadows is constant and the shadows no longer flicker, so that some of the mystery and some of the artistic quality is lost from the shadow side of the screen. In contras, however, from the dalang’s side of the screen, where increasing numbers of people prefer to sit today, the coloring of the puppets appears brighter. In the case of the rare performances given with puppets encrusted with jewels, of course this splendor flashes all the brighter under an electric light.
Posted on 04.38 by Lordly Shades and filed under | 0 Comments »