Posted 10 years ago
mikelv85
(1232 items)
Today was kind of a dreary rainy morning. Damp and muggy followed by hot and muggy. Just didn't feel like doing my usual running around. I did head out to my favorite Salvation Army and then remembered it's Wednesday. Half price crazy day. Parking lot packed at 9 AM already. Oh well, I'm already here might as well take a quick look around. Spied this on the very top shelf ! People in the way with carts lolly gagging and talking...Arghhh ! Yeah... I'm not good with crowds. Finally was able to reach it and it's heavy for it's 14" x 6 1/2" size. Very nicely made and no damage to the delicate wood head dress or anything else for that matter. She has suffered either sun or water marking to the finish. I think furniture polish might fix that or maybe some wax. My online search gave me some general information about these pieces. Some are valuable others not so much and made in Indonesia. One site shows this to be a teak or mahogany bust of a "djanger-dancer". The marks on the bottom are a bit of a puzzle "Siwa" is not the artist or a god according to one site I looked at. It was a great deal as always and I think she's quite nice. -Mike-
Hey Mike, What a neat find! Love it!
Hi pops52 :) ...... Thanks for the "love" and comment.
Well carved Mike - I like the cutouts!
Surely she was a useful club for clearing the lolly-gaggers! (I haven't heard that for a while lol!)
I have a pair ... posted about three years ago.
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/19156-balinese-ancestor-portraits
Yours is a young maiden - a Djanger dancer.
Mine are male and female -- older people and I believe them to be ancestor portraits.
In 2005-2006 there was an exhibition at the Nusantara museum at Delft in the Netherlands called "Art Deco op Bali". If you search under that phrase you may come across some interesting information about these busts.
Besides that there is another posting on CW here by FILMNET from two years ago too - with the SIWA on the bottom. He got them on a trip in 1962. That puts a general date on them.
I believe that SIWA is the Indonesian form of SHIVA.
I have a hunch that it may refer to a tourist group but I am not sure - SIWA TOURS?
The FILMNET connection:
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/44246-bali-wood-carvings-of-god-siwa-from-196
Thanks vetraio...I did actually come across his post while I was searching. He had a link to the site he checked with about his pieces. They had a Djanger dancer bust on that site but it was from the 70's. Exact same head dress but different face with a bit more modesty. I think this one is much nicer in form and detail. I used a bit of colorless furniture oil on it and it looks so much better. Blended everything together and evened out the color. I'll have to take new pictures and post them. -Mike-
Thanks Karen :)..... that's what I call the zombies that just lean on their carts standing in one spot blocking the isles exactly where you want to look. Like no one else is around but them .... damn lolly gaggers ....lol
I look forward to seeing them. I thinks the Indonesians have a special varnish that gives the red glossy look.
Very nice find ! It was worth fighting the crowds for :-) love her
Thanks Mani :)....she's much happier now that she's had her make over though !
Hi Jim :)...Thanks for all the info and the compliment. She did come back to life very nicely. I did see filmnet's post and it was very helpful because he had the link to the gallery he corresponded with. Helped me ID this piece as a Djanger dancer, which was on the site. I've used Asian art forum too for my vases and plates. You are right they close down for the weekends but their spam screening and the 24 hr. lag for posting pictures is what I really dislike. Still a great site though with some good experts if you can catch their eye, I've had things that never get answered if it doesn't interest them or is a reproduction. Your piece is bronze were mine is teak or mahogany. I wonder which is older ? I guess mine is 60's vintage like vetraio and filnet said. Maybe yours is older. Looking forward to finding out. -Mike-
I believe what you have is an item sold to tourists and it relates to the Siwaratri celebration. This would have been meant to represent one of the Gods or Goddesses you were asking forgiveness from. I believe the machine stamp on the bottom would indicate it was mass produced.