Traditional Javanese painting was a primarily rural activity closely bound up with traditional forms of dance and puppetry. About the turn of the 19th century a number of traditional Javanese painters took up the European-derived medium of reverse-glass painting (lukisan kaca), an art form confined to urban settings but rooted in a distinctly ‘village Javanese’ sensibility. The native display of these paintings is closely connected with Javanist religiosity; wayang images on glass, in particular, commonly adorn the dwellings of traditional Javanese shaman-healers (dukun) (Cohen 2005: 11, 31–2).

The tradition in Cirebon—from which this example likely originates—was uniquely devoted to the depiction of traditional imagery, namely, wayang figures and tableaux, batik patterns, and Islamic symbolism. The specific images and tableaux were commonly chosen by the commissioner, for whom they had a sort of iconic function (Cohen 2005: 32). The example at hand features a wonderful, spirited scene and is easily the oldest that I have ever seen. It is protected by an original frame with nails that attests to its age.

REFERENCES

Cohen, M.I. “Traditional and Popular Painting in Modern Java.” Archipel 69, no. 1 (2005): 5–38.

https://doi.org/10.3406/arch.2005.3926.