1940s Balinese Polychrome & Lacquered Devata Sculpture - Klungkung Collective

Details

Description

An extraordinary, museum-grade milestone of mid-twentieth-century Indonesian art, this exceptional 1940s sculpture bears the rare, bold regional hallmark of the … Read more An extraordinary, museum-grade milestone of mid-twentieth-century Indonesian art, this exceptional 1940s sculpture bears the rare, bold regional hallmark of the historic "KLUNG KUNG" artisan collectives chiseled directly into its base plate.

Dating to the late pre-independence era, this transitional masterpiece showcases the brilliant, early use of mixed-medium techniques that defined the eastern royal court craft guilds. Standing at a monumental, commanding height of 27.5 inches with a robust 7-by-6-inch base footprint, this architectural-scale sculpture features a striking combination of vibrant, hand-painted mineral polychrome accents layered seamlessly alongside a rich, full-body golden-brown tree-resin lacquer finish. The figure portrays a celestial Devata maiden elegantly executing a traditional temple dance gesture, her serene facial contours and downcast eyes projecting an aura of profound meditative tranquility.

Reflecting its authentic eight-decade history, the main structural anatomy of the figure is remarkably sound, with a clean, fully stabilized historic reattachment confined strictly to the trailing back edge portion of her flowing robe drapery where it sweeps behind the right arm. This minor, vintage preservation choice is beautifully aligned with the original tool tracks and does not detract from its immense graphic presence. Significantly elevating its curatorial provenance, the underside base deck retains a rare, fossilized perimeter of vintage local newspaper fragments from the advertisement sections, which became permanently bonded into the wet lacquer matrix as the piece rested on the workshop benches during its original curing phase.

Free of any other structural anomalies, this fully authenticated milestone piece serves as an elite architectural statement anchor, bringing immense graphic volume, historical scarcity, and decorative luxury to high-end minimalist interiors, executive desks, or premier ethnographic art collections. See less