please help identify this panel

I have this wooden panel with intricate 3D carvings which I know is Ramayana story from Hindu culture but I don't know the age or artist or origin of this piece and nothing is written on the piece itself.
also I would like to know if I should get it varnished and polished as its wood looks very raw or will it loose it value doing so?

thanks

 

Likely Indian in origin. Appears to be sheesham wood. Quality is quite good. Could have been done most any time. Condition suggests 20th century as opposed to being antique. I don't think I would put any kind of heavy coating on it but I don't think a good oiling would hurt this. Would suggest something like Watco Danish Oil or a similar product.

 

Gorgeous panel.
This is classic Jepara woodcarving from Java, Indonesia (not Bali!). Jepara is on the north coast of Java.
The headdresses/crowns are typically Javanese, and Ramayana is still one of the most popular stories in Java, even though they are nominally Muslim now.
Javanese art has been influenced by southern Indian art through thousands of years of trade contact.
The panel does need oil, but Watco Danish oil also has some varnish in it. I always use a simple vegetable oil on my Jepara pieces. It will also enhance the colour and smoothen the texture, but in a more gentle way. May need a few applications to get rid of the rawness of the wood.

 

By the way, I can see most of the main Ramayana characters: Rama with his bow and the golden hind who is really a demon in disguise, lovely Sita (Sinto in Javanese), Jatayu the vulture who warns about Sita's abduction, and loyal monkey king Hanuman who helps Rama to get Sita back. The panel is a very complicated epic in a nutshell.

 

Hi,
I do not use simple vegetable oil anymore. I have had several go rancid. I use mineral oil from the chemist. OBB and I have been having this discussion for years. She say veggie oil or olive oil is fine, I disagree due to the rancid problem. To what ever. I still give warning, she still poo poos me.
greg

 

Bear has a better climate for preserving wood than we do. It may help preserve oils too. I tend to go with mineral oil or tung oil on wood. The tung oil penetrates, but mineral oil is going to be easier to get. It also works nicely on your sharpening stone for getting the burrs and nicks off your knives.

 

thank you all for your reply.
what would be the rough value for such kind of art work?

 

could you suggest some commercially available vegetable oil for this ? I am assuming you are not using cooking oil

 

oh and one important thing I almost forgot to ask , how can I apply mineral or vegetable oil on this piece since this has 3D structure .. brush ? cloth?

 

Hi,
A very soft artist's brush, one with big soft round head.
Unfortunately they were talking about cooking oils.
greg

 

I collect and sell Indonesian keris (ceremonial daggers). I use the traditional oils (sandalwood, rose, jasmine, etc.) intended for use on keris blades on wooden keris handles and sheaths as well. Those Indonesians who adhere to traditions have a totally different view of these things then us in the Western world. They are considered part of the sacred world of the keris.
I mix the oils myself, and usually have enough to care for other Indonesian intricate woodcarvings as well. And yes, if I have to cover a large area, I occasionally mix the oils with the humble walnut oil which people might use in salads. I live in a cold climate and have been lucky so far, the oils haven't gone rancid.

Aliyesami, the price of Jepara carvings depends on the size and the market.
The only prices for Jepara I have seen, are here in The Netherlands, where many people have old/antique Jepara and prices tend to be (too) low.
I sell my Indonesian art and jewellery internationally, but haven't sold any Jepara yet.
What is the size of your panel?

 

Olive oil for me every time. Very very sparingly.

I suspect our climate is a little kinder, but it's also used widely in olive growing countries - not as humid, perhaps as parts of the US.

I'd perhaps not touch this one at all. The best oil would be from hands touching it over years.

 

I did that with a small carved olive wood pin once. It was left as raw wood. So...during the hot and sticky summer, I rubbed it on my greasy face. That would gross some people out, but it worked like a charm. Handling this a lot might well do the trick.

 

the size of my panel is 231 x 86 cm , so its a pretty large piece .
weighing at almost 36Kg and in perfect condition