Ancient Indian Colonies in the Far East (Vol. I: Champa; Vol. II: Suvarnadvipa) v2.c21.s5: Chapter V
Ancient Indian Colonies in the Far East (Vol. I: Champā; Vol. II: Suvarṇadvīpa) v2.c21.s5
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Chapter V
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Java has yielded quite a large number of bronze figures. These are mostly images of gods, though some were household objects such as lamp-stand, handles, *etc.* These were all cast by the process known as *cire perdue*.
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The images of gods cover a wide field from iconographic point of view. They include gods and goddesses, not now known in India, though their existence in ancient times is vouchsafed by *sādhana* (description in canonical works) or parallel images in Tibet and other countries which derived their religion from India.
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Artistically the images follow the stone sculptures and are characterised by a graceful and serene naturalistic representation. The grotesque and the bizarre have been avoided as far as practicable, even where the original conception, as revealed in the text, would have lent itself easily to an ugly and hideous form. The artists, while conforming to the religious texts, have followed their high aesthetic ideal and produced on the whole well-conceived and well-proportioned figures with harmonious and beautiful forms.
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In view of the ease with which the small handy bronze figures are liable to be removed to distant places, it is impossible to treat them according to locality. This also makes it difficult to classify them according to style until more detailed research has been carried on in this subject. We shall, therefore, merely give a general review of the bronze figures in Java.
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A very large number of bronze figures were discovered in 1913 at Caṇḍiraja¹ near Ngañjuk in Kediri, and about fifty of them are now in the Museum at Batavia. Only a few of these have been definitely identified, but the rest, though forming parts of a group belonging to the pantheon of Mahāyāna Buddhism, are unlike any other images hitherto known in Java or elsewhere. All the images (Pl. XLII) are seated cross-legged on a double lotus, but they are distinguished from one another by different attributes and postures of hands. The chief figure, larger than the rest, has a back-piece, surmounted by a Kāla-Makara ornament of the shape of a Caitya-window and crowned by an umbrella. The figures are well cast and show that the art of casting in bronze was highly developed.
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¹ Krom—Kunst, II, pp. 445-6, Pl. 109. For a detailed account cf. Krom's article in Rapporten van den Oudheidkundigen Dienst in Nederlandsch-Indie, 1913. pp. 60 ff.
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These and other bronze figures in the Museum at Batavia have been dealt with by Krom and Bosch¹.
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¹ O. V., 1923, pp. 138 ff.
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The collection of bronze figures in the Royal Ethnographical Museum at Leiden has been described by Dr. A. C. Tobi.² Although important from iconographical point of view, these do not call for any special remarks as works of art. The joint figure of Vairocana and Vajradhātviśvarī is a fairly good specimen³ (Pl. XLIV, Fig. 1).
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² O. V., 1930, pp. 158 ff. Pll. 50-53.
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³ Cat. IV., Vol. V, Pl. XI, Fig. 2.
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The bronze figures in the Swabe collection⁴ at Jogyakerta contain some good pieces. The seated Buddha figure in Bhūmisparśa-mudrā (attitude of touching the earth) with flames rising above the head is a fine image with good modelling (Pl. XLIII).
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⁴ O. V., 1930, pp. 232-3, Pll. 55-6.
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The collection of Lim Ju Choan at Mageland contains a few good pieces⁵.
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⁵ Rapporten, 1911, Pll. 185-7.
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The Resink-collection contains a fine image of the goddess Śrī⁶ (Pl. XLIV, Fig. 2) holding an ear of rice in the left hand, and with an oval aureole crowned by an umbrella. In spite of somewhat unusually elongated middle portion it is finely modelled and has a beautiful expression.
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⁶ Krom-Kunst, II, p. 439, Pl. 108 (left).
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The bronze images in the Srivedari Museum¹ at Solo is described by Bosch. It contains some good pieces.
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¹ O. V., 1923, pp. 138-154.
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The image of Trailokyavijaya² (Pl. XLV) in Jogyakerta is also an excellent specimen of bronze-casting. It has four faces and eight arms, holding various weapons, and strides vigorously across the prostrate bodies of Pārvatī and Śiva's bull. Its strength and vigour are represented very artistically and the whole figure is radiant with energy and movement.
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² Cohn—Ind, Pll. 166-7. The same figure is referred to as Dharmapāla by Havell ( Indian Sculpture and Painting, p. 60, Pl. XVII) and its artistic merits are highly extolled.
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The bronze group of Śiva and Pārvatī, found in Temanggung is a good specimen of bronze art³ (Pl. XLVI, Fig. 2.).
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³ I. A. L., Vol. III (1929), p. 98, Pl. IV.
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The bronze bell found in Kalasan⁴ (Pl. XLVII, Fig. 1) is a fine work of art. It has the shape of a stūpa on a lotus base. Round its centre is a band of decorative sculptures composed of a row of flying parrots forming a sort of garland. On the top is a small lion placed upon a smaller lotus base. There is a ring on the back of the lion by which the bell was suspended.
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⁴ I. A. L. Vol. II, p. 70, Pl. III.
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Bronze images from Java are found scattered about in the European Museums. Two fine Mañjuśrī figures are described and illustrated by Coomaraswamy⁵. One of them has been referred to the ninth century A. D. or a little later on palaeographic evidence and stylistic consideration. It was found near Dieng.
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⁵ J. R. A. S. 1909, p. 290, Pl. II, figs. 4-5.
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Dr. F. M. Schnitger has described a nicely executed bronze piece, now in Malang ( E. Java ), depicting Brahmā and Viṣṇu on two sides of a *liṅga*. It undoubtedly refers to the well-known story, related in the Vāyupurāṇa, how neither Brahmā nor Viṣṇu could trace the upper or lower limit of Śiva in the form of a *liṅga*, and therefore acknowledged his superiority. Dr. Schnitger refers the image to the thirteenth or fourteenth century A. D.¹
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¹ Tropisch Nederland, 28th June, 1937., p. 75.
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Quite recently Dr. A. J. Bernet Kempers² has made a critical and elaborate study of the Indo-Javanese bronzes with special reference to their relation to the Pāla art in India. After a very careful and painstaking analysis he has come to the conclusion that a limited group of bronze-figures in Eastern Java have been decidedly influenced by the Pāla art, but the Pāla influence had no share in the evolution of Central Javanese art. In other words, "the Hindu-Javanese bronzes in general have not developed from Pāla art, but the Pāla images have enriched the art of Java with a number of motifs and types."³ These motives and types have affected also the stone sculptures of Eastern Java, and Dr. Kempers particularly lays stress on several Pāla features in their dress and composition, such as 'the loops and ribbons by the ears, the *shawl* of the Bhr̥kuṭi image from Caṇḍi Jago, the attendants on the two sides of the main figure, the bodice of the Durgā from Caṇḍi Singhasāri, standing with the legs apart,' *etc.* Some of these, *viz.* the loops and ribbons near the ears, have developed into peculiarities of East-Javanese art. Dr Kempers has further traced the influence of South India, Ceylon, and Further India on some Indo-Javanese bronze images.
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² "The Bronzes of Nalanda and Hindu-Javanese Art"—The article originally appeared in B. K. I. Vol. 90 (1933) pp. 1-88, and has since been published separately at Leiden.
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³ Ibid, pp. 73-4.
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Metals other than bronze were also used for making images, though their number is small.
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A fine Manjuśrī statuette in silver is reproduced in Pl. XLVII, Fig. 2. It has been referred to A. D. 800, but the date is uncertain. A number of gold and silver images, along with those of bronze and stone, perished in the disastrous fire that destroyed the Dutch pavilion in the Paris Exhibition on June 28, 1931. Some of these were very beautiful and their loss is to be deplored by all lovers of art. A few of these are reproduced in T. B. G. vol. 71 (1931), pp. 663 ff., Pll. 1-20. Among the more serious losses may be mentioned the Śiva image of Semarang, the image of Tṛṇabindu from Singhasāri, one of the spout-figures from Majakerta, and last, but not the least, the fine bronze Buddha of Kota Bangun ( see under Borneo ) one of the finest products of Indonesian art.
Cites (1)
- Vāyupurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit