"Mas Piring" - pectoral from Maluku, Indonesia - Gallery

FROM OUR COLLECTION, TO BE DISPLAYED IN THE EXHIBITION "TREASURE SHIPS: ART IN THE AGE OF SPICES", AT THE ART GALLERY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA (IN ADELAIDE) FROM 13 JUNE. Description (by me): This dish-shaped object (so-called mas piring) is made of high quality gold. It was worn as a pectoral. In comparison with most dishes of this type this example is comparatively heavy (111.6 gr) and firm in its construction, partly because it is relatively compact and not too large. In several larger examples the amount of gold used was not really adequate for the size, which was achieved by pounding out the metal to such an extent that significant tearing could take place. The dish measures 18.5 x 2.5 cm, not taking into account the small finial-like lug attached to the rim, which is not a characteristic feature for these dishes, but most exceptional. The dish has a rich patina due to age and regular use. It shows its age on the front, and even more prominently on the back, where a deep reddish patina has built up over a considerable amount of time—probably over more than 200 years. Expert scholar Frank Wiggers informs me that the thickness of the patina was, at least in part, caused by repeated sacrificial anointments. The dish can be confidently dated back to the 18th century and quite plausibly even further. Gold dishes of various kinds were certainly made in the southeast Maluku area before 1700, as can be concluded for one thing from comments made by G.E. Rumphius, who lived in Ambon during the second half of the 17th century."

@Thelma: great to hear you liked the story about Rumphius etc. Thanks! I am now writing about your question concerning sacrifice. I should perhaps first explain that we bought the piece from Linda Pastorino, to whom we are very grateful for offering it to us. However, the piece had previously belonged to Frank Wiggers, who is known worldwide as a specialist on Indonesian gold jewellery, and not least that of Maluku. I consulted Frank extensively before supplying descriptive material to our Art Gallery here in Adelaide which will shortly exhibit this piece. I put your question to him and Frank has now written the following by way of explanation: "The object was never used 'FOR' sacrificial purposes, be it of the human or sacrificial kind. Rather, in the process of honoring the object for the symbolic function it serves (as connection to the realm of the ancestors, in this particular case), anointments or dedications could be made to the object to confirm its empowerment. Substances would have been used in this dedication process such as for example chicken blood - this being symbolic for the 'life force' inherent in living creatures and 'possibly' (only 'remotely possibly'!) a stand-in for a hint of human sacrifice in times of a very distant past. The latter is purely speculative of course, and truly a far cry to your questioner's premise of the piece possibly having been used 'FOR' purposes of human sacrifice. Hope this is sufficiently clarified." That does seem to me to clarify the issue, Thelma, but I was not inclined to offer any such possible explanation myself until I had consulted Frank! Best wishes, Joost

Comments

Thelma June 1, 2015 at 8:10pm

This is very interesting, Joost, but just a little 'spooky'. I see that Maluku is a small island near Papua New Guinea. Such a beautiful and valuable dish must have been used by someone important. There cannot have been many of them and I wondered, given Maluku's geographical position, whether the sacrifices mentioned were human sacrifices and how the dish was used. Maybe no account of this exists. I hope you'll let us see pictures of your exhibit at the exhibition.
Joost Daalder June 3, 2015 at 10:18am

Thanks for your interesting question, Thelma. I have asked the expert on these dishes about the matter of sacrifice. But in the meantime: Maluku is nof just one small island. "The Maluku Islands or the Moluccas (/məˈlʌkəz/) are an archipelago within Indonesia" (Wikipedia). I do not imply, however, that they are not isolated and small; and they very much have a culture of their own. I shall report more when I know more!
Thelma June 3, 2015 at 1:11pm

Thanks for this, Joost. Exciting to learn about these islands. I suppose 'the Moluccas' is the more familiar term for me. It will be very interesting to hear more about the cultural context ... the occasion and nature of the sacrifices and the role of the dish.
Joost Daalder June 3, 2015 at 1:37pm

Thanks, Thelma. Yes, in English the islands are far better known as the Moluccas, and the Dutch traditionally have always called them "de Molukken". I think it is appropriate, though, that increasingly we are now using the actual Indonesian words, and I am sure you agree! Linguistically, it is interesting to see what the English and the Dutch turned "Maluku" into. It is now becoming common to use that word for the whole island region, rather than "The Maluku Islands". Truus has a strong personal interest in Ambon (one of the islands), because of a 19th century ancestor there, and - as she and I have in recent years discovered, partly by accident! - because she is also related to G.E. Rumphius, the 17th c scientist who punctiliously described the "natural history" of the place. The exhibition will in fact feature Truus's copy of The Ambonese Curiosity Cabinet (published - in Dutch - 1705, after Rumphius's death). She inherited this from her (Dutch) uncle, who did know that he was named after Rumphius, but not that he was related to that person!!! So the Art Gallery here is mightily pleased to be able to borrow this very rare but famous book AND the dish, both of them closely associated with Maluku - the Spice Islands which loom so large in the history of the Netherlands, and notably the V.O.C. The exhibition is focusing on the art and culture associated with the trade (particularly, but not uniquely, the Dutch trade) in spices.
Thelma June 3, 2015 at 6:45pm

My goodness, Joost. What a great story! I love family history and examining the objects that have been passed down the generations (often jewellery and books) and hearing the stories. How exciting for Truus to have this connection to Rumphius and to have his beautifully titled volume The Ambonese Curiosity Cabinet; and also to have other connections with Ambon. The personal touches bring a whole new perspective to your contribution to the exhibition. It also looks as if Rumphius might have been another great collector in his own way! I hope the exhibition goes well.
Joost Daalder June 8, 2015 at 5:42am

@Thelma: great to hear you liked the story about Rumphius etc. Thanks! I am now writing about your question concerning sacrifice. I should perhaps first explain that we bought the piece from Linda Pastorino, to whom we are very grateful for offering it to us. However, the piece had previously belonged to Frank Wiggers, who is known worldwide as a specialist on Indonesian gold jewellery, and not least that of Maluku. I consulted Frank extensively before supplying descriptive material to our Art Gallery here in Adelaide which will shortly exhibit this piece. I put your question to him and Frank has now written the following by way of explanation: "The object was never used 'FOR' sacrificial purposes, be it of the human or sacrificial kind. Rather, in the process of honoring the object for the symbolic function it serves (as connection to the realm of the ancestors, in this particular case), anointments or dedications could be made to the object to confirm its empowerment. Substances would have been used in this dedication process such as for example chicken blood - this being symbolic for the 'life force' inherent in living creatures and 'possibly' (only 'remotely possibly'!) a stand-in for a hint of human sacrifice in times of a very distant past. The latter is purely speculative of course, and truly a far cry to your questioner's premise of the piece possibly having been used 'FOR' purposes of human sacrifice. Hope this is sufficiently clarified." That does seem to me to clarify the issue, Thelma, but I was not inclined to offer any such possible explanation myself until I had consulted Frank! Best wishes, Joost
Thelma June 8, 2015 at 3:30pm

Joost, thank you for taking the trouble to contact Frank Wiggers and for sending his reply. It certainly highlights the importance of the function of the dish as a means of connecting to the world of the ancestors; and the use of blood as a means of strengthening the power of the dish. But who would have used this valuable dish to contact the ancestors? Would it perhaps have been used by a priest or a shaman at an important ceremony?

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