166 ₾
Antique panel mask sculpture of the Prophet Muhammad from the 1960s. From the Center for Arts and Culture in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. A rare specimen of the intersection of Islamic spiritual culture and traditional Balinese arts: the majority of the population (83.5%) practices the local variant of Hinduism "Agama Hindu Dharma" and only 13.3% are Muslims. Polished equatorial teak, handmade, high-art carving on a slab - a solid longitudinal cut of wood. The sculpture is nearly 70 years old. On the golden solid wood (last photo), fine brown intricate uneven stripes and inclusions are clearly visible, which are characteristic only of Indonesian teak wood from the now non-existent natural areas of its growth, confirming that this sculpture is made from a slab of natural forest wood, which has been completely displaced by industrial plantations of hybrid teak tree varieties since the 1970s. The main difference of historical teak wood from the island of Bali compared to all others: according to the locally developed Balinese technology over centuries, after cutting, teak is kept in natural ventilation and sun-drying conditions for at least 10 years. Therefore, antique works from the island of Bali are excellently preserved, are not afraid of temperature fluctuations, pests, fading, or drying out.
Tbilisi
Tbilisi