Keris Dance

measurements: 52x23x4,5 cm
weight: 1670 gr

The artist is unknown, but the carving would have deserved to be signed. The scene is part of the great Barong Rangda dance. In it's second part, men attack the evil Rangda, but are bewitched by her and turn their sword against themselves. Usually this scene is depicted with Barong and Rangda present. The fact that it stands alone here is in this respect a rarer variant of the frequently seen theme.
Despite the tragic background, this image is beautiful. The carver had an eye for good and harmonious image proportions, so the composition looks like from a painting. One of my favorite pieces of the collection.