Shadow puppet representing Kayon
Item
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Title
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Shadow puppet representing Kayon
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Creator
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Unidentified artist
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Subject
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Shadow puppet
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Culture
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Balinese
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Medium
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Buffalo leather; buffalo horn; pigments
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Format
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29 1/2 x 12 3/16 inches; 75 x 31 cm
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Description
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Kayon (in Bali) or Gunungan (in Java) is a pivotal piece in the wayang performance that has multiple functions throughout the play; it signifies the beginning, end, and the transitions between scenes. Cosmologically, gunungan represents both the cosmic mountain of Meru and the Javanese/Balinese “tree of life” that connects the different realms of the seen and the unseen. Gunungan generally takes the form of a triangle, lavishly carved and adorned with vegetal motifs and animal forms. Often, one can find the head of kala, a monstrous personification of time, on top of the depiction of a gate or a door, signifying the function of gunungan as the marker of cosmic temporality.
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Provenance
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Gift of Joseph Fischer acquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund and the gift of Louise Taraldson Woods by exchange
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Rights
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Collection of the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art. Coll. no. 2008.073.169
Kayon