Wood Hand Carving of Dewi Sri
Product Description
From the collection of well-known Jungian analyst and author, Karen Signell, who collected this carving on Bali in the late 1940’s
Dewi Sri, the Indonesian Goddess of Rice, is believed to have control over the underworld and the moon and she also has dominion over birth and life, controls the rice fields and the growth of rice, and, therefore, the availability of the precious staple food of all Indonesians. In light of this, Dewi Sri controls the life, wealth and prosperity of Indonesia, the rice surpluses that have traditionally been a source of wealth for, especially, Bali and Java, and their inverse as well: poverty, famine, hunger, disease and, to a certain extent death.
There are a number of myths involving Dewi Sri and her brother Sedana, and they are normally set in Heaven, in a kingdom called Medang Kamulan or both. In all versions where Sedana appears with Dewi Sri, they become separated because of them wandering away from each other, their refusing to be married or to die. Some myths make a comparison between Dewi Sri and the large rice paddy snake (ular sawa) and Sedana with the paddy swallow (sriti). The naga or snake, especially a king cobra, or a sea serpent is a common fertility symbol throughout Asia and is, especially in Bali and Java, represented as a crowned deity, in contrast to western traditions that consider snakes as representing sin, temptation or wickedness.
Dewi Sri is, as in this Balinese example, usually presented as a young, beautiful, slim yet curvaceous woman with stylized facial features idiosyncratic to the respective locale. In Bali she is almost always depicted as a narrow-waisted woman at the height of her femininity and fertility, wearing what is essentially a typical dance costume with a finely detailed and elaborate headdress. She remains highly revered especially in Bali, Java and Sunda, and there are regional variations of her legend throughout Indonesia. Despite most Indonesians being observant Muslims or Balinese Hindu the indigenous underlying animist beliefs that were practices in Indonesia long before the arrival of more modern religions remain ingrained in the beliefs of the indigenous people of Indonesia and are worshiped parallel to Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity without conflict. They are, moreover, cultivated by the Royal Courts, especially in those of Cirebon and Yogyakarta on the island of Java and of Ubud on the Island of Bali.
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Origin: Mas, Bali
Medium: Wood
Date: Pre World War II
Name: Dewi Sri
Dimension: 7 1/2" x 7 1/2"
Weight: 2 pounds and 5 ounces
Dewi Sri, the Indonesian Goddess of Rice, is believed to have control over the underworld and the moon and she also has dominion over birth and life, controls the rice fields and the growth of rice, and, therefore, the availability of the precious staple food of all Indonesians. In light of this, Dewi Sri controls the life, wealth and prosperity of Indonesia, the rice surpluses that have traditionally been a source of wealth for, especially, Bali and Java, and their inverse as well: poverty, famine, hunger, disease and, to a certain extent death.
There are a number of myths involving Dewi Sri and her brother Sedana, and they are normally set in Heaven, in a kingdom called Medang Kamulan or both. In all versions where Sedana appears with Dewi Sri, they become separated because of them wandering away from each other, their refusing to be married or to die. Some myths make a comparison between Dewi Sri and the large rice paddy snake (ular sawa) and Sedana with the paddy swallow (sriti). The naga or snake, especially a king cobra, or a sea serpent is a common fertility symbol throughout Asia and is, especially in Bali and Java, represented as a crowned deity, in contrast to western traditions that consider snakes as representing sin, temptation or wickedness.
Dewi Sri is, as in this Balinese example, usually presented as a young, beautiful, slim yet curvaceous woman with stylized facial features idiosyncratic to the respective locale. In Bali she is almost always depicted as a narrow-waisted woman at the height of her femininity and fertility, wearing what is essentially a typical dance costume with a finely detailed and elaborate headdress. She remains highly revered especially in Bali, Java and Sunda, and there are regional variations of her legend throughout Indonesia. Despite most Indonesians being observant Muslims or Balinese Hindu the indigenous underlying animist beliefs that were practices in Indonesia long before the arrival of more modern religions remain ingrained in the beliefs of the indigenous people of Indonesia and are worshiped parallel to Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity without conflict. They are, moreover, cultivated by the Royal Courts, especially in those of Cirebon and Yogyakarta on the island of Java and of Ubud on the Island of Bali.
Request Price or Information
Origin: Mas, Bali
Medium: Wood
Date: Pre World War II
Name: Dewi Sri
Dimension: 7 1/2" x 7 1/2"
Weight: 2 pounds and 5 ounces