B A R A K AT G A L L E RY

Mirror of all Ages and Cultures

Indonesian Royal Gold Crown - DV.030

Origin: Indonesia
Circa: 1300 AD to 1600 AD
Dimensions: 9.75" (24.8cm) high

Price on request

58 Brook Street, W1K 5DT, London | +44 207 493 7778 | info@barakatgallery.eu
941 North La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles | 58-4, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
 B A R A K AT G A L L E RY
Mirror of all Ages and Cultures

Curatorial comment:
This remarkable piece is a golden crown from the Indonesian archipelago. It is one
of the most flamboyant such items that we have seen, the basic form is a double
dome, the lower about one and a half times the size of the upper. It is utterly covered
with repousse relief work, with hosts of religious and decorative elements. The
lower dome has a fantastical dragon-like face on the front, flanked by two
medallions bearing images of religious figures (of the Hindu faith) surrounded by
foliate scrollwork and organic motifs. The upper dome is decorated with repeated
foliate scrolls and abstract decorations. The two domes are separated by a
constriction marked with a high-relief band decorated with multi-coloured
semi/precious stones in purple, green, red and blue. These are repeated around the
base of the inferior dome and around the apex of the superior. The effect is
breathtakingly opulent.
Indonesia has a long and complex royal and administrative history. This piece dates
to the Majapahit kingdom, an Indianised kingdom based in Eastern Java, and
ruling between the 12th and 16th centuries. It extended throughout Sumatra,
Borneo and Eastern Indonesia as well as the Malay Peninsula, and is generally
regarded as a Golden Age for Hindu empires in the Malay Archipelago.

58 Brook Street, W1K 5DT, London | +44 207 493 7778 | info@barakatgallery.eu
941 North La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles | 58-4, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
 B A R A K AT G A L L E RY
Mirror of all Ages and Cultures

Contemporary records – notably the Nagarakertagama (written in 1365) – reveal

that the courts were highly sophisticated and refined. They encouraged artistic
oeuvres, including writing and painting, and also attracted the finest minds in
Eastern Asia to their extravagantly appointed palaces. It had considerable influence
over neighbouring areas, although its power was more cultural than martial after
the early stages, and the Majapahit monarchs were more concerned with
monopolising trade through the archipelago. Geographical and economic
constraints suggest that rather than a regular centralised authority, the outer states
were most likely to have been connected mainly by trade connections, which was
probably a royal monopoly. The kingdom was shaken by civil wars from 1405 to
1406, then again in the 1450s in another succession crisis. Family intrigue and
competition from other Javanese power bases brought about the end of the empire
in the early 16th century.
The Majapahit empire is noted for its extravagant art, architecture and other
material profligacy. The capital – Trowulan – was renowned for its huge festivals
and the elegant nature of its construction:
"Of all the buildings, none lack pillars, bearing fine carvings and coloured" [Within
the wall compounds] "there were elegant pavilions roofed with aren fibre, like the
scene in a painting... The petals of the katangga were sprinkled over the roofs for
they had fallen in the wind. The roofs were like maidens with flowers arranged in
their hair, delighting those who saw them".
Description of the Majapahit capital from the Old Javanese epic poem
Nagarakertagama.
The king was a semi-divine personage in the eyes of his subjects; this piece of
courtly regalia is an extremely important and rare object, and deserves pride of
place in any discerning collection.

58 Brook Street, W1K 5DT, London | +44 207 493 7778 | info@barakatgallery.eu
941 North La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles | 58-4, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
 B A R A K AT G A L L E RY
Mirror of all Ages and Cultures

Condition Report:

The statuette (Royal Gold Crown - DV.030) is in extra fine state. Very minor scruffs and distortions, entirely compatible with the
archaeological history of the artefact.

58 Brook Street, W1K 5DT, London | +44 207 493 7778 | info@barakatgallery.eu
941 North La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles | 58-4, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul