Inventory

Royal manuscript holder and calligrapher’s case

Full Description:

A nineteenth-century carved and red-lacquered wooden portable writing case, possibly attributed to the Sultanate of Cirebon, West Java. Of rectangular form, the case sits on its own integral stepped base. At one end, it features three calligrapher’s drawers to store writing implements and tools, which are concealed by profuse carving that enhances each side panel of the case. Decorated in cinnabar red lacquer, the four side panels showcase elegant epigraphic cartouches set against a dense ground of scrolling clouds, reminiscent of the traditional mega mendung (sun rays and clouds) motif, indigenous to Cirebon. Each cartouche is inscribed with three overlapping lines of Javi script mixing Arabic and local languages. Condition-wise, there is a small piece missing from the corner of one of the drawer fronts, and some general wear, but otherwise it is a rare and well-preserved object.

The decorative vocabulary, overall design, and incorporation of Javi Arabic script of the present case present a strong affinity with another major artistic production attributed to West Java, and specifically Cirebon: the batik industry. Indeed, Cirebon and other centres located on the northern coast of the island were known to specialise in the creation of elaborate dyed textiles showcasing Arabic calligraphy and Islamic motifs, often referred to as kain batik tulisan Arab. Initially, the Arabic script was introduced in these textiles as a graphic element; only later, it started fulfilling a protective and well-wishing function.¹ Calligraphy, serving either an ornamental or religious purpose, was often compartmentalised in geometric cartouches, similarly to the sides of this case. Surrounding the text, one would have encountered recurrent auspicious motifs such as vegetal meanderings, cloud banners, floral sprays, along with zoomorphic figures and traditional Islamic symbols, like Ali’s sword, Zulfiqar. Their function was to emphasise and boost the ‘religious charge’ of the artwork. Both these characteristics can be encountered on a batik cloth in the Museum für Völkerkunde, Vienna (inv. no. 176.002),² as well as on the present wooden case, testifying to the heterogeneous intersection of the Javanese arts’ decorative vocabulary. The incorporation of motifs with the Arabic script remained prominent in Cirebon’s repertoire of carved wooden production, well into the twentieth century. This is evident in two calligraphic panels in the collection of the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM), Singapore.³

The text on this specimen, addressed to a pious noble prince, refers to the customary story of the Archangel Gabriel (Jibrāʾīl) delivering the revelation to 125,000 prophets. It also discloses the purpose of the box, conceived as a holder for an important dictionary (or probably an encyclopaedic work) including almanacs of the Arab and Persian/non-Arab languages (probably Javanese too). The inscriptions have been deciphered as follows, and are still a work in progress:

Side 1 – Agung Aziz/Kanjeng p. al-ʿaẓīm/[probably a proper name]/zaman Walanda  

(Great and noble Prince/…../during the Dutch [colonial] period)  

Side 2 – Hādhā makān al-Muʿjam (min) yaday al-shaykh faqir/al-ḥākim al-shāfī fī balad al-akbar shaqī (?) tārīkh al-ʿarabī wa-l-ʿajamī – huwa al-nabī ḥaram/ghaniyyun rabbī kashafanī Allāhu fa-akhadza faḍāʾila kalimahu  

(This is the place [or repository] of the dictionary from the poor, wise Shaykh in the great country [containing] the Arabic and non-Arabic almanac – He is the noble Prophet/Oh My Lord the Almighty, God revealed me, so he took the virtues of His word)  

Side 3 – bayna (?) ajmal al-ghulām - Seribu (?) ke-wulan Jumād al-ākhir tahun ālāf al-jibrāʾīl (?) ….. 

(… the best child - [on the month of] Jumād al-ākhir in the year one thousand …… [of Hijri]….)  

Side 4  -- Nuzūl jibrāʾīl ʿalā al-anbiyāʾ ʿalayhim al-salām alfay ʿishrūna wa khamsu miʾah/ʿishruna khamsa ʿashar miʾah alfān …….. (the Angel Gabriel delivered [divine revelation] to 125,000 prophets……) 

In Java, the Sultanate of Cirebon was a well-established and renowned hub of Islamic Javanese art. Its connection with the Muslim faith goes back to the fifteenth century, following the first ‘Islamising’ wave in the archipelago. Around this time, nine preachers (wali) were tasked with the mission of spreading Allah’s word. Among them was the first ruler of Cirebon, Sunan Gunung Jati (1448 – 1568), who was married to the Chinese princess On Tie, responsible for the introduction of Chinese designs and models in the local batik production, thanks to her vast collection of artworks, in particular Chinese ceramics.⁴ Thus, it appears that from the fifteenth century onward, Cirebon established itself as a primary multi-cultural centre and homogeneous melting pot of Sino-Islamic influences and traditions, which led to the local creation of truly iconic and unusual works of art, like the present calligrapher’s case. Worthy of further research, this object is a precious witness to the impact the Islamic faith and beliefs had in the Malay and Indonesian archipelagos, from the first Muslim settlements until the present day.

My thanks to Zacky Khairul Umam for his work on translating the inscriptions.

Provenance

Dutch art market (by repute a Dutch artist living in the Hague)

References