Surprisingly, and despite their fabulous wealth as princes and peasants of this glorious kingdom preferred heat, the intrinsic beauty of one of the most common and malleable materials - clay - au above all others. Their virtuoso skills have resulted in a bewildering range of architectural and sculptural masterpieces that know few peers. So, too, turned their potters shaped and beautiful water vessels and pots with lyrical motifs and smooth surfaces using red iron oxide. Unlike the black stone used exclusively in central Java they preferred bricks. The bricks laid with mortar minimum allowing a smooth red surface. The technique is still used in Bali today.
For those wishing to enjoy this art, a recently published book - Majapahit Terracotta - BAB (Buku Antara Bangsa) is an ideal starting point. Written by historian of extraordinary art, Soedarmadji John Henry Damais, it is illustrated by a selection of the highlights of a collection he put together over a period of 30 years. The son of the great French scientist Louis Charles Damais, objects 73 inside is the best book published on the subject so far. Mr. Damais, who was the curator of several museums in Jakarta, fell in love with clay at the beginning of his illustrious career.
In some ways, representations of people and animals, including the dreamy princesses, courtiers, warriors, dwarves, fat children, peasants, frogs, birds and monkeys can be considered snapshots of daily life at the time. Usually expressionists, the molded red clay artists quickly and with great dexterity and injecting images with life and movement. Indeed, many small statuettes are so realistic that they seem to be portraits of real people the artist had sat for him. This is a great rarity in Indonesian art where humans are generally idealized and based on the type of non real life studies and Europe. Even the so-called portrait statues, those used in the worship of royal ancestors, representing kings and queens lie dead, idealized symbolic representations that do not have to look like the actual physical characteristics of a real person.
jungle scenes, often seen on the bases of pillars and other architectural elements are exuberant foliage and flowers around buildings and even hidden figures and creatures in a variety of intriguing realistic poses. A media type used for pots decorated with flowers and distinctive leaves of the sacred lotus. These decorations appear on each side of huge stone statues representing Majapahit kings and queens highest. This magical world is populated by monsters as well -. kala masks monster keeper, like those seen above Balinese temples, the elephant fish Gadjahmina double and fantastic beings directed
The Majapahit empire style travel with the provinces - as far north as Padang Lawas temples in northern Sumatra and the temples of Muara Jambi, once huge temple complex that featured the original long as beautiful Venetian canals running in the river Batang Hari. Earthen Arts cooked Bali and Lombok are also in debt to this legacy.
As said in another story written for Jakarta Expat (22 June 2011) East Java is also the original home of the bank. In fact, a picture of a wild boar (celeng), the Majapahit choose boars as a form suitable for clay bank because they were synonymous with wealth and growth. Including piggy banks not appear in the book probably because they are so common.
For thousands of colonial terracotta pieces were found in the fields around Truwulan. Many plantation owners would start buying from producers and workers. Between 1913 and 1918 the Dutch colonial architect Henri Maclaine Pont, began a thorough study of the Majapahit capital that would continue for many years. He played a key role in the creation of Truwulan Museum, which is still one of the best places to see objects, including terracotta dating from the Majapahit period. The art of architecture and would have a strong influence on his work, which incorporated indigenous Indonesian designs. One of his most famous buildings is ITB, the Bandung Institute of Technology. Many of the parts he excavated in Java are still there.
One form of iconic terracotta Majapahit is Kendi, a water container with a spout that can pour into your mouth without touching your lips on the mouthpiece. This was very important because it allowed the different status of people to share the water regardless of position. Majapahit Kendi are remarkable because bulbous noses are often round and resemble female breasts full of milk. At this stage it is difficult to verify because of the form, however, it seems unlikely that his likeness and vernacular name (kendi susu) or literally "breast kendi" was lost on the people of Majapahit.
countless statues, most of whom are women, are one of the most common fines. In most cases, the leaders of these small statues were deliberately broken. This was interpreted as evidence that they were used for a ritual purpose - perhaps even replace human sacrifice. Animal sacrifices to appease the ancestors and the gods and bless the land to ensure its fertility are found throughout the region.
Terracotta was one of the first human technologies. One may wonder who and why someone discovered not only that you can form the clay into vases and objects, but especially if you expose it to light undergoes a chemical change that makes it impermeable water and heat. This allowed the storage of liquid and boiling and cooking stews and other. Terracotta is also used to retain water and because of the way his breathing the water is kept fresh and soft even when it is hot. Clay is indeed a cooling material with antiseptic and medicinal properties. Who would think that something this town could also be art?