Back again... hopefully with vengeance...

After being a couple (or more...!!) years dormant, I've finally replaced my work-machine and can get back to putting both blogs in order.

Let me settle down a bit and learn the features first...

See you folks again in a while.

A view of the Suro month festivities at the Keraton Surakarta

The preparations on the eve of 1 Suro before the kirab pusaka at the Keraton Surakarta Hadiningrat

The sesajen and wilujengan in the Bangsal Maligi, the porch before the Sasana Sewaka, main pendopo of the Keraton Surakarta

A view from the southern porch of Sasana Handrawina towards the Bangsal Maligi, the wafts of smoke from the incense and ratus can be seen

A view from the front of the Bangsal Maligi looking towards the inner court

The entourage and bearers of the pusaka with their umbrellas of state, songsong and the censer for incense lighted and ready

The senior princes and courtiers lined up in the Sasana Parasdya, the peringgitan area of the court

Part of the entourage passing through the Srimanganti Lor gate which leads out of the pelataran of the court

A view of the Sasana Mulya

A view of the magnificent joglo of the Mangkurat model with a three-tiered roof reserved for the nobility as the main pendopo of the Sasana Mulya

The previous seat of the crown prince during the 19th century within the Keraton Surakarta complex 

Detail of the usuk ksatria pinayungan, like rays of the sun emanating from the centre

A view inwards where the peringgitan can also be seen

A view of the main emperan doors leading into the dalem ageng

A frontal view of the ndalem ageng of the Sasana Mulya built in the early 1800s

The sacred Krobongan can be seen together with ceramic mosaic portraits of Pangeran Hangabehi who was crowned as PB XI and his permaisuri RAj Koes Pariah, GKR Pakubuwana XI.

A view from the eastern side of the joglo within the dalem ageng

A mosaic portait of the elderly PB VIII (reigned 1858 - 1861)  found on the eastern side wall

A series of old picture cards of the wayang wong genre sent from Surakarta to the International Exhibition in Amsterdam, ca. 1883.

All images copyright and courtesy of the Photography Gallery, National Gallery of Australia.

Gatot-Kaca with the diagnostic star on his breast-plate

A scene of a wirengan dance portraying the Bugis

A scene of Irawan, the son of the noble Janaka and Gatot-Kaca wrestling with a member of the Kurawa clan

Bumo-Narokosuro, a son of Kresno with Werkudoro

A character portraying Sumbradra with Anilo, the dancer with the monkey mask

The sacred temple dance Bedhaya Ketawang at the Sasana Sewaka

The grand pendopo within the kraton complex of the Kasunanan...

The view from the eastern veranda

The assembled senior nobles known as the sentana seated within the inner canopy

The nine maidens performing the sacred temple dance and it is interesting to note the two seated emban servants seated on the left whose duty is to ensure the apparel of the dancers do not slip and to sometimes wipe the prespiration from the dancers who stick to a strict 90 minute duration of dance, which was shortened from the original 3 hours... Tedious but beautiful...

A view of a traditional dalem in-situ

A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending a cultural dance performance put up at the nDalem Prangwedanan which is the preparatory house of the appointed prince who would later become the Mangkunegara, a title roughly measuring to that of a duke, in the old city of Surakarta. A prince from this hereditary line would first have to be appointed the Prangwedono before he replaces the vacant seat of the Mangkunegoro in the future.

A view of the dalem of the Prangwedanan and it is interesting to note the contemporary loro blonyo statutes which are in the folk medium of terracotta and somewhat aberrant to the normal styles for the nobility.

The close-up of the krobongan which are draped over with ceremonial cloths and the interior with pillows and bolsters in modern cinde type material, but they are not piled up in the traditional fashion and somewhat lacking in quantity. This is probably beacuse this dalem was contemporaneously refurbished from a state of earlier disrepair. The highlight is the cinde boards at the back which probably date to the same period as the building which is circa 19th century.

The view from the pringgitan

Accoutrements in silver...

Silver and to a lesser extent, gold; had been a precious metal (logam mulia) of choice when it came to the construction of the ampilan and ceremonial vessels for the court and princely dalems in Central Java.

The usual examples are the paidon or small spittoon, tempolong/kecohan or large spittoon, sirih set or pakinangan and the offering trays and bowls (bokor). For most people and the lesser nobility, these vessels would be in brass and for the senior princes and the ruler, they would be in silver and gold.

Here are a few samples of uncommon vessels in silver from noble houses...

Left to right:

A encased tea set, a sirih finger bowl and a large ceremonial bokor (offering bowl)

A very rare and important silver ceremonial tea set from a noble house in Surakarta, 19th century.

Personally, I have never encountered a similar set that is from a Javanese princely house and from the make and style, this is made in Java with Chinese, European and local influences.

Drawing a comparision to the palanquins at the Surakarta court where the construction and style is essentially Javanese but much of the decoration and painting depicts Chinese styled elements.

This possibly unique tea set was an accoutrement to the other upacara utensils, notably the sirih sets in the late 18th - early 19th century princely dalem, but not for regular use or as tea service but largely reserved in a more rigid ceremonial settting.