Seated Female Ascetic in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, November 2010

Seated female ascetic, Eastern Javanese period, 15th–16th century
Indonesia (Java), Majapahit kingdom
Bronze
H. 6 5/8 in. (16.8 cm)
Gift of Dr. Victoria Chan-Palay, 1997 (1997.435)


Small bronze sculptures of women and children were produced in some number during the Majapahit period. The function of these objects remains unclear. They may have been used as dolls, or as substitutes for certain individuals in magical rituals or other ceremonies. Her thin arms and shaved head suggest that this figure may represent an ascetic. She is seated with left leg folded beneath her, and wears a sarong, serpentine armlets, and a necklace with leaf-shaped pendants and bands around her wrists and ankles. She has a serene expression, heavy-lidded downcast eyes, and prominent arched eyebrows.


Text from: www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1997.435