Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 15. (Budapest, 1995)

RENNER Zsuzsanna: R. M. Soelaeman Pringgodigdo, a műgyűjtő diplomata emlékére

Even in the new context of his collection, he paid the traditional respect due to the ritual objects of Javanese culture, primarily to the krises. The items in Soelaeman Pringgodigdo'

s collection fall into four broad categories: the first, the smallest but probably the must valuable part of the collection, comprises archaeological objects of Bronze Age cultures and the Indo-Javanese period: small-size bronze sculptures, ritual objects, objects for everyday use, jewellery, coins, terracotta figures and architectural fragments. The second unit, numerically the largest, comprises antiquities of Javanese court culture: wayang kulit, wayang klitik and wayang golek puppets, topeng masks and wayang beber scrolls, krises, kris handles, batik clothes, objects for everyday use, ornamental objects and books. Although Balinese art objects partly fall into this category, by virtue of their peculiar character they form a separate unit. The fourth unit comprises the products of tribal art: ikat textiles, wood carvings, weapons and jewellery from different regions and islands. In what follows, we shall select objects from each unit that we consider to be representative, just to give an idea of the highlights of the collection, since lack of space prevents us from giving a complete coverage of it

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. One of the oldest pieces of the collection is a socketed axe of the Dong-son type, unearthed in an excavation in Central Java, and originating from around the second half of the first millennium B. C. The face cover (plate 1) consisting of five parts (covers for the eyes, mouth, beard [?] and nose-cum-eyebrows) is a characteristic object of preclassical burial tradition

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; since these traditions partly survived in the proto-classical period, this and similar objects can be broadly dated from the second half of the first millennium B. C. to the first half of the first millennium A. D. The incised linear design of the gold foil, resembling veins on a leaf, refer to an East Javanese origin

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. One of the must peculiar items is a standing figure (tomb figure?) of unknown age, made of gold foil, which might also be associated with the prehistoric tradition of human burial. It came to light during an excavation in Eastern Java, near Jember. Quite a few pieces of old jewellery in the collection represent well-known protoclassical and early classical types. One characteristic protoclassical form is the so-called "open oval", widespread in the Southeast Asian archipelago but also closely related to the similar ear ornaments of Oc-eo in mainland Southeast Asia. They were made of gold and other metals as well, such as bronze

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. The six pieces in the collection are made of gilt bronze (plate 2). Several types of ornaments characteristic to the early classical (Central Javanese) period are also represented in the collection. Such items are a Central Javanese gold ring set with an oval stone held in claws

8 or a so-called "conch bead", that is, an oval resin core covered with gold leaf with vegetal repousse design. Similarly to other examples of the type

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, holes are pierced at the ends as if for stringing but the core is solid, so its use is not clear. The original use of the socalled "bird rings" is also uncertain: it has been suggested that they might have been put on the legs of pet birds but it is more likely that they were fine ear ornaments

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. The "bird rings" of the collection share the general characteristics of their type: they consist of a round golden hoop surmounted by a clasping which is set with a stone (plate 3). The so-called "rod finial" is also represented in the collection. These tiny objects made of gold and decorated with intriguing motifs are so called because of their cylindrical collars, but more probably they were used as hair ornaments. Their motifs, probably of religious content, have been much discussed but are too small and not detailed enough to produce a clear conclusion about what exactly is represented

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. The anthropomorphic figure here (plate 4) reminds us of the Vishnu on Garuda motif. The characteristic coins of the classical period, the so-called piloncito and sandalwood types are also represented in the collection (plate 5). Coins of the piloncito type were usually made of gold in Java, with a squarish incuse with two raised dots separated by a raised line. The specimens in the collection belong partly to the small round and partly to the somewhat bigger, squarish round-shoul-