Something worth a passing glance

Ian · 7th January 2025, 12:26 PM

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 · 7th January 2025, 12:48 PM

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 · 7th January 2025, 08:46 PM

It is worth a 'passing glance' though Ian.

A. G. Maisey · 7th January 2025, 10:08 PM

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 · 8th January 2025, 08:27 PM

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

SidJ · 8th January 2025, 08:31 PM

And on the motif I thought it was a bird or eel! Semen was the last thing on my mind but what if any does it stand for and is it commonly seen on keris? I guess it's a male Shiva Lingam power thing?

A. G. Maisey · 8th January 2025, 09:21 PM

I thought it might have come from me, but I usually rely on memory with this sort of thing --- ie, what i once had & no longer do have --- & my memory banks are over-full, so I tend to forget things. However, if i said it was silver when I passed it to you, it is silver, I always test before I say someting is silver, its too easy to make a mistake.

As to the motif. The word "semen" comes from "semi", it is the same root that gives us the "tunggak semi" planar jejeran/pegangan style, "semi" means to sprout, to blossom, to form a bud, the idea is representative of new life, a new start.

In olden times the semen class of batik motifs were the prerogative of royalty.

There are a lot of semen motifs and they can include a lot of sub-motifs, in your pendok the boomerang type things are supposedly representative of a tiered garden, but we can also see birds, a suggestion of serpents and foliage, the fan-like motif at the top of the pendok is supposedly representative of a peacock.

I'm not expert in the reading of these motifs, and I rely to a large extent on two sources:- batik pattern books & the opinions of people who know vastly more than I do about Javanese art motifs.

7th January 2025, 12:26 PM	#1
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,397	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. Last edited by Ian; 7th January 2025 at 12:39 PM.

7th January 2025, 12:48 PM	#2
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,397	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.

7th January 2025, 08:46 PM	#3
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,339	It is worth a 'passing glance' though Ian.

7th January 2025, 10:08 PM	#4
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	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.

8th January 2025, 08:27 PM	#5
SidJ Member Join Date: Apr 2020 Posts: 207	Thanks Alan, the keris I posted above was one of yours that I bought a couple of years ago.

8th January 2025, 08:31 PM	#6
SidJ Member Join Date: Apr 2020 Posts: 207	And on the motif I thought it was a bird or eel! Semen was the last thing on my mind but what if any does it stand for and is it commonly seen on keris? I guess it's a male Shiva Lingam power thing?

8th January 2025, 09:21 PM	#7
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	I thought it might have come from me, but I usually rely on memory with this sort of thing --- ie, what i once had & no longer do have --- & my memory banks are over-full, so I tend to forget things. However, if i said it was silver when I passed it to you, it is silver, I always test before I say someting is silver, its too easy to make a mistake. As to the motif. The word "semen" comes from "semi", it is the same root that gives us the "tunggak semi" planar jejeran/pegangan style, "semi" means to sprout, to blossom, to form a bud, the idea is representative of new life, a new start. In olden times the semen class of batik motifs were the prerogative of royalty. There are a lot of semen motifs and they can include a lot of sub-motifs, in your pendok the boomerang type things are supposedly representative of a tiered garden, but we can also see birds, a suggestion of serpents and foliage, the fan-like motif at the top of the pendok is supposedly representative of a peacock. I'm not expert in the reading of these motifs, and I rely to a large extent on two sources:- batik pattern books & the opinions of people who know vastly more than I do about Javanese art motifs.