Ancient Indonesian silver of the Central and Eastern Javanese periods, 750-1550: a small collection

Abstract

Ancient Indonesian Silver is the second publication of the Documentation Centre for Ancient Indonesian Art in Amsterdam. It examines Indonesian silver, sculptures, objects and two pieces of jewellery, affording fresh insight into the history of silver made by Javanese silversmiths. While ancient Indonesian gold has received considerable attention from art historians, to date there have been no specialised publications on the subject of ancient Indonesian silver. Most of the thirty selected items in this catalogue are published for the first time. They provide an introduction to the fascinating silversmith art of Central - and East Java from circa 750 to 1550. some objects exhibit the foreign influences that helped shaped Javanese art, as illustrated by early photographs. This begins with the impact of Hinduism from India and somewhat later that of Buddhism. The illustrations in this publication include photographs of the works of art as well as old photographs and details of archaeological sites throughout Java. In this way, art lovers are able to better understand Indonesian culture as well as the virtuosity of Javanese silversmiths.