Saturday, March 2, 2019
Image: Hanuman and the Sun
I Dewa Nyoman Leper (Padangtegal, Indonesia 1917-?)
Hanuman and the sun
Wash technique and gold paint on paper, black ink framing lines, framed and glazed.
55 x 37 cm.
Of all the heroes of the Ramayana epics, apart from Rama and Sita, the powerful white monkey Hanuman probably enjoys the greatest popularity. A favourite story is based on his mission leading the army of the apes to Alengka (Sri Lanka), to support King Rama in his search for his abducted wife Sita. The devouring of the sun may be regarded as a metaphor for the eclipse, possibly inspired by the more common story "Kala Rahu eating the Moon' (see also lot 77, by the same artist). The scene is looked upon by the 'unimaginable', purely Balinese deity Tintiya or Ida Sanghyang Widhi Wasa (Supreme Deity of Universal Order in Balinese religion), traditionally shown with flames leaping from every joint.
