Hanging

19th century

This batik features characters from the Hindu epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana as they appear in the wayang kulit (shadow puppet) tradition. Shadow-play, a storytelling medium, has been one of the major vehicles for the transmission of these epics in Java and in Bali, Indonesia. By the first centuries CE, versions of these epics were traveling along trade routes from the Indian subcontinent to Java, changing and adapting as the stories interacted with various elements of Javanese religious sentiments and cultural beliefs.

The Mahabharata revolves around two rival families, the Pandavas and Kauravas, whose disputes culminate in a pivotal battle. Prabu Baladewa and his brother Kresna are first cousins to the Pandava brothers, including Arjuna. Prabu Baladewa serves as foil to the more intelligent Kresna, who consistently outwits him. Unexpectedly at the end of the great war, when all have been slain, including Kresna, it is Prabu Baladewa who is alive to raise Parikesit, Arjuna’s infant grandson, who will start a new line of kings in Java.

Cloth

66 x 42 in. (167.64 x 106.68 cm)

Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection

40.32

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing [on view July 16 - Dec. 5, 2021].

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