Material: Iron, silver
Style: Central Java, Indonesia
Size: Height 6 cm (closed), Length 20 cm
Order Number: MHSAJBC2

The areca nut is one of the ingredients of the betel quid. The basic ingredients are betel leaf, areca nut and lime powder. Gambir and tobacco may be added  to make it more fragrant. The hard nut is sliced into small pieces with a hinged cutter (caket). It is used like a small guillotine or a single bladed pair of scissors – with a vertical movement. There are 2 arms, one with an iron blade, and the other with a flat surface against which the blade falls. The rest may be brass or another kind of metal.

There are 2 examples of cutters in Anuradhapura, the old capital of Sri Lanka, which was destroyed in 993 AD by the Cholas. The earliest written reference is in the Indian  Basayapurana of Bhima-Khavi of 1369.

They were prestige implements, like the rest of the betel set, and commissioned by aristocrats and rich merchants. There are a multiplicity of designs.  Brass and iron require different techniques and craftsmen. Being small, they travelled all over the region. Most are very elegant.

By the 12th century Indian metalworkers were in Bali and Java and impressive craftsmanship was applied to the cutters. In Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia cutters are made of iron, which may be decorated with other metals.

There are animal motifs – usually horses, peacocks and dragons in iron, with incised mounts, sometimes in gold and silver.  They typically have fins and crests with incised designs, inlaid with silver, gold or brass. The horse was probably introduced by Chinese metalworkers during the Bronze Age. The arched heads are similar to T’ang horses.

There are also stags and mythological animals. Mythical dragon birds are peculiar to Thailand. In Southeast Asia there are wayang figures from the puppet theatre, such as Arjuna and the comic Wak Long. Bali has birds and realistic roosters. In India and Sri Lanka there are parrot heads with gold mounts set with rubies. Some are abstract designs.

Many cutters from Bali and Java are silver plated, sometimes only on parts, such as manes and crests. Some parts may be left undecorated as a contrast. Eyes may be of glass, iron or brass. Some are minimalist and may just be suggested in the joint – often as a bird.

In Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia the handles are made of iron, plain and usually sheathed in finely worked gold, silver or white metal. The end of the handles is usually a single knob, often slightly pointed and incised with a foliage design.

Indian cutters are often D-shaped of brass and steel, punched and pierced, and beaded. Those from Mughal-influenced areas of north India are frequently embellished by surface decoration. Apart from the odd parrot, north Indian cutters are mainly non-figurative, reflecting the Moslem prohibition on human forms, while those in southern India are highly figurative and sculptural.

Indonesian cutters come mainly from Bali, Lombok, Java, Madura, and Sumatra.

Sumatran ones from the Batak people have a snout shape or a horse with a flared mouth and arched neck and openwork mane, the hinge being an eye with a copper rim. Those from Palembang in south Sumatra are rectangular with the profile of a human face on in the inner side. There are humorous silhouettes of birds’ heads, elephants and wayang figures from Lampung.

Madurese ones have mythical monsters and birds and horses  with openwork crests and manes.

In Java around the old capitals of Yogyakarta and Surakarta the blades are small and the handles are long and they have birds and nagas. The north coast have horses, stags and wayang figures, such as Arjuna or his servant Semar with articulated arms. In East Java they have small horses’ heads and elaborate manes.

Bali and Lombok have similar cutters, often robust and solidly made,  and three-dimensional, including elephants, horses, birds, lions, wayang clowns, such as Twalen, the Balinese version of Semar, and his son Merdah, and Sangut and his older brother Dalem. The animals often have wings and a tail near the handle.

Silver and gold wire inlay is a Balinese speciality. The resulting pattern is often a swastika.

This Javanese betel cutter is in the naga style.  Naga is the Sanskrit word for  ‘snake’ and nagas shown crowned are a favourite Javanese theme. Here the snake-like appearance is almost gone thanks to the crown and lack of a sinuous body. The sheaths are of silver with club-shaped finials.

There is an example in Betel Cutters, From the Samuel Eilenberg Collection, Henry Brownrigg, Thames and Hudson, 1992 on page 105.

19th century – early 20th century.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Javanese Betel Cutter 2 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Iron, silver
Style: Central Java, Indonesia
Size: Height 5.5 cm (closed), Length 16 cm
Order Number: MHSAJBC3

The areca nut is one of the ingredients of the betel quid. The basic ingredients are betel leaf, areca nut and lime powder. Gambir and tobacco may be added  to make it more fragrant. The hard nut is sliced into small pieces with a hinged cutter (caket). It is used like a small guillotine or a single bladed pair of scissors – with a vertical movement. There are 2 arms, one with an iron blade, and the other with a flat surface against which the blade falls. The rest may be brass or another kind of metal.

There are 2 examples of cutters in Anuradhapura, the old capital of Sri Lanka, which was destroyed in 993 AD by the Cholas. The earliest written reference is in the Indian  Basayapurana of Bhima-Khavi of 1369.

They were prestige implements, like the rest of the betel set, and commissioned by aristocrats and rich merchants. There are a multiplicity of designs.  Brass and iron require different techniques and craftsmen. Being small, they travelled all over the region. Most are very elegant.

By the 12th century Indian metalworkers were in Bali and Java and impressive craftsmanship was applied to the cutters. In Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia cutters are made of iron, which may be decorated with other metals.

There are animal motifs – usually horses, peacocks and dragons in iron, with incised mounts, sometimes in gold and silver.  They typically have fins and crests with incised designs, inlaid with silver, gold or brass. The horse was probably introduced by Chinese metalworkers during the Bronze Age. The arched heads are similar to T’ang horses.

There are also stags and mythological animals. Mythical dragon birds are peculiar to Thailand. In Southeast Asia there are wayang figures from the puppet theatre, such as Arjuna and the comic Wak Long. Bali has birds and realistic roosters. In India and Sri Lanka there are parrot heads with gold mounts set with rubies. Some are abstract designs.

Many cutters from Bali and Java are silver plated, sometimes only on parts, such as manes and crests. Some parts may be left undecorated as a contrast. Eyes may be of glass, iron or brass. Some are minimalist and may just be suggested in the joint – often as a bird.

In Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia the handles are made of iron, plain and usually sheathed in finely worked gold, silver or white metal. The end of the handles is usually a single knob, often slightly pointed and incised with a foliage design.

Indian cutters are often D-shaped of brass and steel, punched and pierced, and beaded. Those from Mughal-influenced areas of north India are frequently embellished by surface decoration. Apart from the odd parrot, north Indian cutters are mainly non-figurative, reflecting the Moslem prohibition on human forms, while those in southern India are highly figurative and sculptural.

Indonesian cutters come mainly from Bali, Lombok, Java, Madura, and Sumatra.

Sumatran ones from the Batak people have a snout shape or a horse with a flared mouth and arched neck and openwork mane, the hinge being an eye with a copper rim. Those from Palembang in south Sumatra are rectangular with the profile of a human face on in the inner side. There are humorous silhouettes of birds’ heads, elephants and wayang figures from Lampung.

Madurese ones have mythical monsters and birds and horses  with openwork crests and manes.

In Java around the old capitals of Yogyakarta and Surakarta the blades are small and the handles are long and they have birds and nagas. The north coast have horses, stags and wayang figures, such as Arjuna or his servant Semar with articulated arms. In East Java they have small horses’ heads and elaborate manes.

Bali and Lombok have similar cutters, often robust and solidly made,  and three-dimensional, including elephants, horses, birds, lions, wayang clowns, such as Twalen, the Balinese version of Semar, and his son Merdah, and Sangut and his older brother Dalem. The animals often have wings and a tail near the handle.

Silver and gold wire inlay is a Balinese speciality. The resulting pattern is often a swastika.

This Javanese betel cutter is in the naga style.  Naga is the Sanskrit word for  ‘snake’ and nagas shown crowned are a favourite Javanese theme. The  head is forged and then engraved. Here the snake-like appearance is almost gone thanks to the crown and lack of a sinuous body. The sheaths are of silver with club-shaped finials.

There is an example in Betel Cutters, From the Samuel Eilenberg Collection, Henry Brownrigg, Thames and Hudson, 1992 on page 105.

19th century – early 20th century.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Javanese Betel Cutter 3 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Limestone
Style: Central Nias, North Sumatra, Indonesia
Size: Height 36 cm, Length 62 cm, Width 34 cm
Order Number: MHSANLOO1

80-90 years.

Nias is an island located off the western coast of North Sumatra, Indonesia. Until the arrival of the Dutch Nias had one of the most vibrant warrior cultures of the Indonesian archipelago and their stonecarvings have a distinctive style.

The villages were orderly and densely populated and surrounded by stone walls. Wide, steep stairs lead to avenues with large wooden houses and tables, chairs, monuments, sculptures,  watercourses, public baths and wells.

A Stone Age cave shelter, the Togi Ndrawa cave, used for 3000 years was discovered by French archeologist Hubert Forestier in 2005 in Northwest Nias dating to 2500 – 1500 AD, containing human bones and Neolithic tools.

The missionaries of the late 19th and early 20th century spared stonecarvings from destruction, unlike woodcarvings, as offerings were not made to them.

Nias had a highly stratified society and a continual series of elaborate feasts when megaliths were erected, live human sacrifices were staged and offerings of heads.

North and Central Nias produced most of the free-standing stone statues. Central Nias provided the oldest and most mysterious figures. It was a patriarchal society and most statues are male.

Ritual seats called osa-osa were found only in Central Nias. Elders sat on them during ceremonies. They can be round or rectangular and in the form of real or mythological animals.

This one is called osa osa si sara mbagi, meaning a seat with only one head. It is carved in the form of a lasara –  a creature with a dragon-like head and bird-like tail. It is related to the mythic naga serpent and associated with the underworld, fertility and water. They have a protective function and enhance the power of the nobility on Nias.

Osa-osa are extremely well carved and are used by noble men and women or are made for an ancestor. They are only used once during a ceremony for their consecration. They are seats of honour for the nobility during festivals raised to a higher position and are classified according to the number of heads. One headed pieces are to commemorate men who have given a feast. Three headed ones are usually for clan elders. The seats form part of large megalithic plazas that are ritual centres in Central Nias villages.

There are also hornbills and stags, both associated with ancestors.

Small ones were placed on large ancestral pillars called behu during ceremonies to honour the founding ancestors of the village.

There is a similar one in The Asian Civilisations Museum Guide, 2003, page 236.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Nias Lasara Osa-Osa appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Wood, silver
Style: Sumatra, Indonesia
Size: Height 14 cm, Width 9 cm
Order Number: MHSASPH1

Pedang are sabres or swords from the Gayo and Alas regions of Sumatra. The hilt is in the shape of a naga (mythical snake).

Early 20th century.

Please ask for the price (or make an offer).

The post Antique Sumatran Pedang Hilt 1 appeared first on Murni's in Bali.

Material: Madura wood, paint
Style: Bali
Size: Height 46 cm, Width 18 cm, Depth 2 cm
Order Number: MHSBH11

80-90 years old.

Temple decoration. Nagas are mythical protective serpents.

Please ask the price (or make an offer).

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