Something worth a passing glance

[Anthony G.]

Originally Posted by drdavid

Amazing pendok Alan, thank you for showing. Should the iconography (5 claw dragon and Feng Hua) make us think this was made for someone prominent from a Chinese background
DrD

Dragons with five claws show the privilege of the emperor and the rest of royal family members. The rest of the population can only use dragons with four claws in their decorations.

[Rick]

Here's a pendok that shows some interesting open work with a red velvet cover beneath.
I stopped counting the stones mounted on it after a hundred or so.

[Ian]

Alan,

I am very grateful that you posted this beautiful example of Javanese metalwork. It is exquisitely executed and of a very high standard. It appears virtually flawless. The pendok reminds me of bas relief carving, with a 3-D appearance based on subtle layering of the objects.

On a similar note, I am delighted with the item that I purchased from you recently that also has excellent silver work.

These works of art are national treasures.

[Ian]

Rick,

Your example also looks to be from a master craftsman. The intricate designs and inlaid stones are wonderful. I'm thinking this work is akin to Hindu art, and it also reminds me of some of the Burmese carving seen on ivory hilts where these complex vegetative designs with animals (and gin) are present. Your pendok does not have the 3-D, bas relief treatment as seen in Alan's OP.

[Rick]

It is worth a 'passing glance' though Ian.

[A. G. Maisey]

Thank you for your comments Ian.

Yes, Rick's pendok is a very fine piece of work also.

The very best Javanese silver smiths have historically produced very fine work, much of the best of this Javanese work has come from the small town of Kota Gede, which is situated near to Ngayogyakarta/Yogyakarta/Jogjakarta and which was the location of the Mataram Sultanate, following the partition of Jawa by the Dutch in 1755.

Currently, a couple of the most highly regarded Kota Gede silver smiths produce work of exceptional quality on private order for churches & other public entities located in Europe & USA, they also produce work that bears false historical hallmarks and work that bears no marks at all & that is then marked by the European & other foreign dealers who have ordered it.

SIDJ has posted a photo of a Jogja pendok that bears a semen motif, this is typical of pendok work produced by the Jogjakarta school for sale through the local markets, it might have been made by a Kota Gede smith, but is more likely to have been made by a silver smith working in the Jogjakarta style, but located outside of Kota Gede. This pendok might be silver, or it might be mamas, an alloy that is similar to nickel silver, it would need to be tested to confirm that it is silver.

The images of the silver templek pendok that I posted, is the work of a man who was regarded by many knowledgeable Indonesian art connoisseurs as perhaps the best exponent of Surakarta pendok work who had ever lived, his name was Dayadi & he is no longer a part of the visible world.

As I remarked in my post #13, when we try to appraise the excellence or otherwise of this type of work --- & I guess any type of art/craft work --- we need to make our appraisal against the background of the relevant era & school, there is no universal standard, and there are no universal parameters, that can be applied to all work, no matter from what era & what geographic location.

But the very best of Central Javanese silver work, both Kota Gede school, & Surakarta school, has always been able to be compared favourably with the best silver work from anywhere in the world, something that is beyond argument if we consider the quantity of falsely marked silver work that has had its origin in Kota Gede & that has been sold on the world market for a very long time.

[SidJ]

Thanks Alan, the keris I posted above was one of yours that I bought a couple of years ago.