The Mahabharata (The Great TOP ROW, LEFT to RIGHT Chronicle of the Bharata Dynasty)
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The Mahabharata (The Great TOP ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT Chronicle of the Bharata Dynasty) Wood, cloth, and mixed media From The Mimi and John Herbert Collection Though the stories used in rod-puppet (wayang golek) performances have been derived from many sources, the majority are loosely based Ghatotkacha Ghatotkacha Ghatotkacha Ghatotkacha Ghatotkacha Ghatotkacha on the Indian epic the Mahabharata. This tale revolves around the (Gatotkaca), (Gatotkaca), (Gatotkaca), (Gatotkaca), (Gatotkaca), (Gatotkaca), son of Bhima son of Bhima son of Bhima son of Bhima son of Bhima son of Bhima conflicts between the Pandava brothers and their cousins, the Kaurava Approx. 1984– Approx. 1950 Approx. 1960 Perhaps 1800– Approx. 1960 Approx. 1970 brothers, a rivalry that culminates in a devastating battle. The conflicts 1994 Indonesia; Indonesia; 1900 Indonesia; Indonesia; in this and many of the stories in Javanese puppet theater can be seen Indonesia; Cirebon, West Java West Java Indonesia; Cirebon, West Java Ciampea, as battles between good and evil, but the plots of individual plays West Java F2000.86.124 F2000.86.161 West Java F2000.86.80 West Java F2000.86.34 F2000.86.109 F2000.86.78 suggest a subtle sense of moral ambiguity that mirrors the outside world. As depicted in puppet theater, the heroes of the Mahabharata are not without fault. Likewise, the villains of the stories have complex MIDDLE ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT personalities; many have admirable qualities and struggle with divided loyalties. Indian stories were often modified for local Javanese audiences, and sometimes new narratives involving beloved characters from the epics were invented. A favorite character in Java is Ghatotkacha, the son of the Pandava brother Bhima and the giantess Hidhimbi. When Hidhimbi is about to become the queen of her realm, her The demon The demon The giantess The giantess The demon The demon brother, the demon Brajamusti, objects because he does not think king Hidhimba king Hidhimba Hidhimbi Hidhimbi Brajamusti, Brajamusti, women have the right to rule. Brajamusti challenges Hidhimbi, and (Arimba), (Arimba), (Arimbi), wife (Arimbi), wife uncle of uncle of brother of brother of of Bhima of Bhima Ghatotkacha Ghatotkacha Ghatotkacha arrives to defend her. Hidhimbi warns Ghatotkacha the giantess the giantess Perhaps 1800– Approx. 1920 Perhaps 1800– Approx. 1920 that he is not yet strong enough to face his uncle. Nonetheless he Hidhimbi Hidhimbi 1900 Possibly by 1900 Possibly by begins to fight, and ultimately, he is rescued by his mother. With a (Arimbi) (Arimbi) Indonesia; Tegal, Abah Wikarta Indonesia; Tegal, Abah Wikarta flick of her wrist, Hidhimbi sends Brajamusti flying into the air. (He Perhaps 1800– Approx. 1920 Central Java (Indonesian) Central Java (Indonesian) 1900 Indonesia; F2000.85.25 Indonesia; Tegal F2000.85.6 Indonesia; lands in the kingdom of Astina, where he sees and falls in love with Indonesia; Tegal, Cirebon, or Kuningan, Kuningan Queen Banowati, setting in motion yet another episode of the story.) Central Java West Java Central Java or Tegal, Ghatotkacha eventually gains the strength to conquer his uncle. F2000.85.1 F2000.86.111 F2000.86.72 Central Java R2000.86.90 PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE FROM THE GALLERY BOTTOM ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT Ghatotkacha Arjuna, the third Banowati, wife Drona (Durna), Krishna (Gatotkaca), of the Pandava of Duryodhana advisor to the (Kresna), son of Bhima brothers (Suryadana) Kauravas incarnation of Approx. 1965 Approx. 1970 and of Arjuna Approx. 1950 the Hindu Indonesia; Bogor, By Pak Aji Perhaps 1800– By M. Ahim god Vishnu and West Java (Indonesian) 1900 (Indonesian) advisor to the F2000.86.79 Indonesia; Bogor, Indonesia; Tegal, Indonesia; Pandava West Java Central Java Ciampea, brothers F2000.86.75 F2000.85.26 West Java Approx. 1960 F2000.86.77 Indonesia; Kebumen, Central Java F2000.86.101 PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE FROM THE GALLERY More Is More: Massing Revered Objects in a Temple TO LEFT OF THRONE 1 2 with offerings—but his characteristics Offering container Crowned male figure, making a do not match those of any of the thirty- Approx. 1875–1925 gesture of respect seven as recorded in manuals. Myanmar (Burma) 1850–1925 Bamboo with lacquer, gilding, inlaid Myanmar (Burma) Other possible identities are the deity glass, and inlaid mirrored glass Wood with paint, lacquer, and gilding, Indra, who reverently accompanies Gift of George McWilliams, and mirrored glass the Buddha at a number of moments 2008.92.a-.c Gift of the Donald W. Perez Family in in his legendary life, or one of the memory of Margaret and George W. Four Guardian Kings of the cardinal At important ceremonies, the Buddhist Haldeman, 2008.87.2 directions. faithful in Myanmar present food and other donations to monks, sometimes Who is this figure, with his princely in extremely elaborate containers such garments, posture of respect, and rather as this. wistful expression? It must be a minor deity or celestial being of some sort because in traditional Burmese contexts mortals, even kings, were rarely PLEASE DO NOT represented in sculpture. He might be REMOVE FROM one of the thirty-seven nats—a group of THE GALLERY powerful spirits who need to be pacified TO LEFT OF THRONE 3 on the Buddha’s left, held his hands 4 The structure of the shrine is topped by The monk Shariputra, the chief together in reverence. Shrine several tiers of tapering roofs, a stupa- disciple of the Buddha Approx. 1875–1925 like element, and a tiered honorific Approx. 1850–1925 These disciples, though they were Northern Thailand parasol. The shape of this shrine and its Myanmar (Burma) contemporaries of the historical Buddha Wood with lacquer and gilding, mirrored decoration indicate that it was made in Wood with lacquer and gilding, and and legendary for their piety and power, glass, plain glass, and ferrous and the northern region of Thailand. colored glass may have seemed to sculptors more nonferrous metal The Avery Brundage Collection, approachable than the Buddha and the Gift from Doris Duke Charitable Several of the roof decorations were B60S599 celestial deities. Sometimes, as here, Foundation’s Southeast Asian Art broken and have been replicated and the sculptor imparts a sense of youthful Collection, 2006.27.55 replaced. Following standard museum In Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand, the tenderness. conservation practices, all the changes Buddha is sometimes shown flanked by Shrines like this were used to hold are documented in detail and are made two of his chief disciples. In Myanmar Sculptures such as this are difficult to objects of religious reverence such as to be easily reversible. they were often differentiated by their date with precision, as artists continue Buddha images, relics of important body positions. Both faced the Buddha, to make them today. persons, scriptures, or other sacred sitting respectfully with their legs to one objects. This shrine came to the side. Shariputra, the disciple shown museum empty. We have placed inside PLEASE DO NOT here, was placed on the Buddha’s it a twentieth-century funerary urn from REMOVE FROM right and leaned forward as if listening Thailand to give a suggestion of what it THE GALLERY attentively; the other chief disciple, might once have contained. impress the Buddha with his grandeur. More Is More: Massing Revered Objects in a Temple The lesson was that the grandeur of buddhahood vastly outshines that of The throne shrine and the arrangement of art objects around it are meant to evoke, in a general way, the earthly kingship. feeling of being in a Buddhist temple in Myanmar (Burma) or Thailand. In temples, the main Buddha image is often densely surrounded by all sorts of other objects from various regions and time periods, such as This throne shrine and image were sculptures, offering containers, and donations from pious people, sometimes even including items like purchased in the 1960s by the wealthy grandfather clocks. art collector (and celebrity) Doris Duke, who assembled a huge group of Southeast Asian artworks with the intention of displaying them for the benefit of the public in a Southeast Asian cultural park. Her plans were never realized in the way she hoped, and eventually this throne and the rest of the collection ended up at Duke’s estate in New Jersey, where visitors could sometimes see them. Some years after her death, many of the art objects 5a were given to the Asian Art Museum and Crowned and bejeweled Buddha the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, image and throne and smaller numbers of objects to other Approx. 1860-1880 museums around the country. Myanmar (Burma); Mandalay area Wood and iron, with lacquer, gilding, The original crown of this Buddha and mirrored glass image disappeared long ago. The Gift from Doris Duke Charitable one the image now wears was made Foundation’s Southeast Asian Art using traditional techniques and in the Collection, 2006.27.17 traditional style in 2002 by U Win and 2006.27.1.a-.t 22 Maung, an expert artisan in Mandalay, Myanmar. It was commissioned and Such an elaborate throne and Buddha then donated to the museum in memory image would have been an important of M. R. Vadhanathorn Chirapravati. fixture of a nineteenth-century Buddhist The rest of the Buddha image’s royal temple in Myanmar, and similar ones decorations appear to be original. can still be seen in temples today. The significance of the crowned and bejeweled Buddha image varied in Interior of Wat Hua Lamphong in Bangkok, Thailand. Iracha Borisudhiyangkun/123RF. different places and periods. In the region of Thailand and Myanmar, one story explained that the Buddha manifested himself enthroned, wearing a magnificent crown and royal finery, in response to an arrogant king named Jambupati who once attempted to ON THRONE 5b Most Buddhists say that they “take Manuscript box with scenes of the refuge” in the “Three Jewels,” story of the wise sage Mahosadha namely the Buddha, the teachings (Mahosadha-jataka) (dharma), and the community of monks Approx.