2 Vintage Mid-Century Indonesian Javanese/Balinese Copper Repoussé Relief Plaque For Sale

Authentic pair of Vintage Mid-Century Indonesian (Javanese/Balinese) Copper Repoussé Relief Plaques from the 1960s–1970s.They are excellent, large-scale examples of mid-century global decor. They depict noble male epic heroes (likely Prince Arjuna and King Rama) from classical Wayang Wong dance-drama traditions.These pieces are vintage South Asian mid-century copper relief plaques depicting traditional dancers in stylized theatrical costumes, likely hailing from Thailand or Indonesia (Bali).Artwork Details

• Medium: Embossed or hammered copper sheets (repoussé technique), accented with darkened, oxidized backgrounds to create high contrast.
• Subjects: Traditional stage performers. The figure on the left captures a dancer gracefully holding a flowing sarong or shawl, while the figure on the right is posed in a classic stylized stance wearing an elaborate crown (headdress).
• Era: Typically produced between the 1950s and 1970s as high-quality decorative souvenir art or export wares.

Visual Features & Design Elements

• Headdress Structure: The figure wears a distinct, multi-tiered crown consisting of a base band, a jagged middle tier with raised circular beads, and a rounded, dome-shaped top.
• Jewelry & Adornments: The dancer features a thick collar-style necklace with a central circular pendant, along with hanging rectangular tassel earrings.
• Artistic Execution: The piece showcases varying heights of copper relief (repoussé), with polished, lighter high points providing contrast against the darker, recessed copper shadows.
• Stylistic Identity: The prominent crown, stylized facial contours, and specific shape of the ear ornaments are highly characteristic of traditional characters from Southeast Asian epics, strongly pointing toward Thai Ramakien characters (such as Prince Rama) or Balinese/Javanese Wayang Wong theatrical performers.

• Distinctive Headdress: The figure wears a traditional Javanese/Balinese headdress featuring an upward-curling, backward-facing tail shape resembling a sumping or supit urang, which is classic attire in Indonesian court dance.
• Ornate Jewelry: The character is adorned with a large, multi-tiered ornamental chest pendant (kalung susun) and a unique cluster-style earring resembling a bunch of grapes or beads, alongside an armband (kelat bahu) on the upper arm.
• Stylistic Confirmation: The downward-cast eyes, stylized facial bone structure, and specific traditional dance costuming strongly confirm that these pieces depict Indonesian (Javanese or Balinese) dancers, likely performing characters from the Ramayana or Mahabharata epics.

Costume & Iconography Breakdown

• The Dance Pose: The figure is captured in a dynamic mendak posture—a foundational, low-centered stance in Javanese and Balinese classical dance where the knees are bent outward and the feet are firmly planted.
• The Dodot & Sampur: The dancer wears a traditional sash or panel (sampur) hanging down the center, while holding out the wide wings of a heavy batik or ceremonial fabric skirt (dodot).
• The Kanyut: The backward-curling headdress shape (garuda mungkur or kanyut) and the bare torso indicate this is a noble male character, frequently representing Prince Arjuna from the Mahabharata or Prince Rama from the Ramayana epics.

Costume & Character Breakdown

• The Royal Crown (Makuta): The tall, tiered crown confirms this character represents royalty or a deity. In Indonesian theatre (Wayang Wong), a crown shaped like this is typically worn by major epic heroes, such as King Sugriwa or Rama.
• The Body Harness (Praba or Badong): Notice the strapped harness across the chest. This represents structural costume elements used in Javanese and Balinese court dance to secure decorative rear wings or heavy shoulder ornaments.
• The Striped Kain: The central fabric panel hanging down between the legs features distinct vertical stripes, mimicking the sacred geometric Poleng or specialized batik patterns worn by specific epic characters to signal status.

Displaying a Matching SetBecause both dancers are depicted facing slightly inward toward each other, they are structurally designed to be hung together as a true matching set.

• Hanging Placement: The dancer from your previous photo (holding out the fabric) should hang on the left, and this crowned dancer should hang on the right. This creates a balanced, symmetrical visual flow where both figures face inward toward the center of your wall.

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