Enquiry about object: 8657
Fine, Central Java Mataram Gold Ring in the Form of Mount Meru
Mataram Kingdom, Central Java, Indonesia 700AD-1000AD
width: 2.3cm, length: 2.5cm, weight: 5g, ring size: 5(US), J/K (UK)
Provenance
Estate Collection of Tom White MBE, a former UK diplomat who served in Southeast Asia in the 1960s & 1970s.
This fine ring cast from solid gold is from Central Java, and dates to around the 8th century, which was then ruled by the Mataram Kingdom.
The bezel of the ring has been cast with a high peak emerging from swirling motifs, suggestive of a mountain peak around which clouds swirl. Mountains are the abodes of the gods in traditional Javanese culture, and this ring almost certainly is intended to serve as a small, personal replica of Mount Meru, the mythical abode of the gods and deified ancestors which features in both traditional Buddhist and Hindu beliefs.
The hoop is plain and concave. It and the bezel have been cast as one.
The Mataram Kingdom was a Hindu-Buddhist kingdom centred on Central Java (and later East Java) from the 8th to the 11th century. It was ruled by two successive families – the Shailendra dynasty and Ishana dynasty.
The ring is in fine condition. It is stable and wearable.
References
Bremer, S., Goud der Goden: Uitt het oude Java, Wereldmuseum Rotterdam Publishers, 2014.
Lunsingh Scheurleer, P., Gold from Java/Goud uit Java, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag/W Books, 2012.
Miksic, J., Old Javanese Gold, Ideation, 1990.
Polak, J., Ancient Indonesian Gold of the Central and Eastern Javanese Periods 750-1550: A Selection, C. Zwartenkot Art Books, 2022.
