Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Any Jewelry, post: 564636, member: 2844&quot;]Some of you may remember my &#039;collection&#039; of one miniature East Java bronze, and my desperate search for more:</p><p><img src="https://www.antiquers.com/attachments/upload_2018-8-25_11-48-30-jpeg.137282/" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>It is tiny, the front of the plinth is shorter than a regular paperclip. It is a very rare Hindu bronze, made in a folk tradition specific to the town of Gresik in East Java, between ca 1500-1800.</p><p>Some people say these Gresik bronzes are even older, Majapahit period, 1293-ca 1500. Not the quality of the usual Majapahit bronzes, but this is folk art.</p><p><br /></p><p>I am always on the lookout for these little guys, but they only surface from old collections once in a while, and the price is usually above my budget.</p><p>This time I was lucky, so the collection has just doubled.<img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie51" alt=":hilarious:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" /> And it is a girl, only slightly bigger than the boy. Same period and tradition.</p><p><br /></p><p>She is wearing a Majapahit style queen&#039;s crown and is either a Goddess or a queen. Kings and queens in Hindu Java were regarded as incarnations of Gods and Goddesses, so it is sometimes difficult to tell them apart.</p><p>She has armbands and big round earplugs, and a draped shawl tucked into her waistband in the old Javanese fashion.</p><p>Her right hand is raised, palm facing outward in a &#039;fear not&#039; protective gesture. The relatively big size of the hand is probably deliberate, to emphasize her protective nature.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]172085[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Back, with paper clip for size. The maker&#039;s fingerprint can still be seen on the patch in her neck.</p><p>I don&#039;t know if the patch is part of the design or if it was put there to strengthen her tiny neck. She is made in the lost wax technique, and a piece of wax as thin as a tiny neck may not hold that crowned head.</p><p>[ATTACH=full]172086[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>From the side it looks like part of the design</p><p>[ATTACH=full]172088[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>She has the wonderful feel of very old bronze, that very smooth, tactile quality</p><p>[ATTACH=full]172089[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>Anyway, I am very happy with her and had to share of course.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in