Muntilan craftsmen create 'ancient' Buddhist statues
Muntilan craftsmen create 'ancient' Buddhist statues
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post/Magelang, Central Java
Creating the appearance of antiquity in a newly made Buddhist
statue made from volcanic rock is not too difficult a job for
craftsmen at the stone craft center in Tamanagung village,
Muntilan subdistrict, Magelang, Central Java.
With a few additional procedures, a newly made statue can be
given an antique appearance that can look quite convincing --
even to collectors.
"I used to have orders to make such products, but I haven't
made one for a few years," statue craftsman Kasrin Endro Prayono,
64, told The Jakarta Post earlier this week.
There are a few secrets, says Kasrin, for producing a newly
made statue with an ancient appearance.
After being carved according to the desired form, the surface
of the statue is hammered using a special tool known locally as a
keprak to make small indentations on the entire surface of the
statue.
"It is done to create the impression of natural aging," said
Kasrin, adding that the same effect could also be created by
pouring or smearing storage battery liquid onto the surface of
the statue.
To create the image of antiquity, the statue is then "smoked",
or burned using a welding blowtorch. A coloring agent made of a
mixture of turmeric and tea is also often used to make the statue
look even more aged.
"Some craftsmen often prefer to bury the statue under the soil
to achieve the antique appearance but that takes at least two
years," Kasrin said.
Kasrin, the owner of Cailendra gallery, said that he produced
such products only to order.
Also, he claimed to have never sold such a product as an
ancient item. Rather, he sold them as works of art with an
ancient appearance.
According to Head of Borobudur Conservational Office Dukut
Santoso, there were indeed many ways either to make fake ancient
statues or to give ancient ones a new appearance to enable them
to pass the customs checks at the airport.
"Some are done with such great sophistication that it is often
difficult for even a collector to recognize the authenticity of a
statue claimed to be ancient," Dukut said.
"Careful, scientific examination, however, can reveal the true
nature of a statue," Dukut said.
Tamanagung is home to thousands of statue craftsmen.
However, only some 200, including Kasrin, are large-scale
producers, whose products are mostly exported. Of these, only a
dozen are known to be capable of creating statues "from
antiquity".
If the one at Christie's, which was withdrawn from an auction
last week, is proven to be a fake, then it could be the result of
Muntilan craftsmens' handiwork.
Kasrin said some buyers, mostly based in Jakarta, often
artificially age some of his statues further.
"Sometimes, I can hardly recognize that they are my work
because they look so completely different from when I sold them
originally," Kasrin said.