Madurese carvings span five admirable centuries

Text and photo by Putu Wirata

MADURA, East Java (JP): Madura, a small island off East Java, now in the throes of development fever as support poles are driven into the ground for the Surabaya-Madura bridge, is gearing up for industrialization. This island is known for its bull races. Also, since bloody clashes in the past have taken place in every nook and cranny of the island, it is also named the "Sicily of Java".

Despite its foreboding nickname, Madura is home to fine carvings, an art which has spanned five admirable centuries. Carvers and artists from Madura are mentioned in the stories and chronicles from the golden era of the Majapahit kingdom.

In those times, Madurese painters left their historical works in various places, including in the graves of such nobility as the Asta Tinggi rulers (built about 1750). They are also found in the form of ornaments in the Agung Jamik mosque (built in 1763) and in the Sumenep palace complex (built in 1762). If one is more interested in carvings of a more recent date, one should visit the Karduluk village, 25 kilometers west of Sumenep, or, pay a visit to Eddy Setiawan, a collector of Madurese antiques.

Madurese people are proud of their art, which they claim was handed down to them as a mythological inheritance from Raden Prabangkara. It was customary for old folk to relate history in the form of folklore, or mythological tales. Scientific sources have, so far, failed to find the names of these painters from Madura. However, as a local saying goes, if there is no rattan, plant roots will do. And if no scientific source can be found, a legend might do the trick.

We take, as a starting point, the period of a kingdom in East Java. There lived Prabangkara, a famous carver. He was requested, by the king, to paint a portrait of the queen. At this point the story is not clear why a carver was asked to paint the portrait. The painting was a success. Unfortunately for Prabangkara, he had painted in the mole above the queen's breast, even though he never saw the queen naked. The king, overcome with jealousy, planned to kill Prabangkara.

Prabangkara was instructed to mend the thread of an airborne kite. While the kite was floating high in the air, its thread snapped, lifting Prabangkara up and away while his carving tools fell to the earth in Madura, Jepara and Bali. This accounts for the reason why these places produce skilled carvers to this day.

The story is only a legend and the storyteller did not feel the need to elaborate why Prabangkara's supernatural powers failed to make him come safely back to earth.

R. P. Angger Orie, from the School of Architecture of the Sepuluh November Institute of Technology, Surabaya, who researched, in 1979, traditional Madurese wood carvings, pointed out that carvings from Madura were influenced by aesthetic motifs of different races. In Jepara, for instance, carvings left by Ki Patih Sungging Badarduwung -- whose original name was Cie Hoei Goan -- feature Siamese traits, which can be observed in the mosque of Mantingan, built during the reign of Queen Kalinyamat between 15th and 16th centuries.

Carvings from Madura also show Chinese, Middle Eastern, and even European influences, aside from displaying the courageous nature of the Madurese people. This is obvious in the choice of colors, which are daring, and in the wide and bold cuts.

The works of Madurese artists have left historical marks, as on the graves of the kings of Sumenep in Asta Tinggi. The carving on the tombs is of very wide dimensions, large enough to become the backdrop of a pendopo (an open hall). In days of old, such a carved stage was the proud possession of the kings buried there. The work is estimated to have been made in the 1500s or 1600s, since -- according to Angger Orie -- decoration styles carried Hindu influences from the end of the Majapahit era.

Carving styles are, for example, in the form of an earthen or stone vessel sprouting a tree and spiraling flowers or plants, like the lotus flower, and stylized curved ferns with jagged leaves. Additional decorations include animals, clouds, tongues of fire, framed in a rim of clouds, and even in spiraling motifs.

At the grave of Prince Jimat, whose real name was Tumenggung Ario Cokronegoro (1731 - 1744), the Chinese influence is obvious. The site was decorated with phoenix birds which are always placed in the center of a carving. The same applies to motifs of cages.

At the third group of graves, where Bendoro Saud or Tumenggung (regent) Tirtonegoro was laid to rest, the site was painted in strong shades of green, red and yellow. In Angger's opinion, this could have been of Turkish influence because green is recognized as the color of Islam.

Other carvings can be observed in Sumenep's old palace, which has been converted, in part, into the regent's office and the Sumenep Museum. Panembahan Somolo (1762-1811) built the palace when he was in power, using the services of Chinese architect, Lauw Pia Ngo.

Traces of history can be found in the old palace, which transports us back to the past. There is the pendopo agung (royal hall); the yellow office; the old living quarters of Princess Tirto Negoro, wife of Tumenggung Tirtonegoro, which are now a museum; the princesses' bathing pools in the garden, and the royal gate, named Labang Mesem, where guests were met with a friendly smile.

In the Agung Jamik Mosque, located in the heart of Sumenep, a blend of various cultures can be viewed. The mosque was built in 1763 by Lauw Pia Ngo. However, even though names of other foreign architects could not be found, influences of European and Middle Eastern architecture can not be ignored. In the Sumenep Museum, furniture used in the past by royalty takes us back to an era long gone. Included in the objects on display is a massive bed, tables and chairs, kingly outfits which were worn when someone was brought to court, war spears, a royal coach, calligraphy, a bullet proof vest and porcelain cups. It is most likely that the kings of Sumenep established relations with the Dutch, since most of the furniture was of European style.

A unique atmosphere will be immediately felt if one enters the quarters of Prince Kornel, also called Prince Lieutenant, an aristocrat of Madura.

There, we can find not only designs of European style, but also a crown affixed with a cross, not unlike European crowns, despite the fact that the prince was a Moslem. And perhaps, to commemorate his military career, the carving displays several weapons to the left and right of the crown.

Eddy Setiawan is of the opinion that the people of Madura must have had an open mind since they were ready to accept foreign esthetics.

"Speaking of culture, they were open to foreign influences. But, where religion was concerned, they could not be influenced," he said.

"You won't find a non-Moslem person on Madura," he added.

In the Aeng Tong Tong village, in the Sumenep district, decorative carvings are still done on kris, swords and spears. The carvings are fine and detailed, resembling the lively patterns from Gianyar, Bali.

A carving village that is still active today is Karduluk, 25 kilometers from Sumenep.

A. Zarnudji Basri, a graduate of the state-owned Institute of Islamic Studies in Pamekasan, uses the expertise of village carvers for commercial purposes.

They are not restricted to carving royal pieces, but have started carving race bulls and their jockeys, bird cages, sailboats and music groups, to name a few.

"These make fair souvenirs," Zarnudji argued.

Isn't there prohibition, in Islam, to paint or carve the image of man or animals?

"True. But, to our understanding, the statues do not really resemble anyone. They may be Si Pulan, Si Anu, persons without identity. What is not permitted is to draw or sculpt someone for purposes of adoration," he explained.

Carvings from Madura are not yet as popular as those from Jepara or Bali, but Zarnudji is proud that 50 percent of the carvings on display in the antique and furniture stores of Ciputat, South Jakarta, are from Madura. Zarnudji also has plans to train more young people from Karduluk.

"I would like to send the young ones to Bali or Jepara to learn. I would like to see them expand their knowledge and skills," he said.