26

Iko, Bride (presumably), ca. 1910 – 1930, teak, 37 x 12 x 12 cm, (no image available).

Offered on Catawiki in June 2024 and purchased by a private individual from Indonesia. The statue bears the inscription: “Iko Pancanten soenda di bandoeng.” “Pancanten” translates from Sundanese as “getting married,” and the entire sentence translates as “getting married in Bandung.” Iko uses the spelling common in the Dutch East Indies (nowadays, Indonesians write Sunda and Bandung). Presumably, this depicts a bride or other female figure associated with marriage. It could also depict the marriage goddess Nyai Loro Kidul. In Iko’s version, the bride or goddess kneels with her feet turned to the right. Her right hand rests on her right thigh. With her left hand, she holds a sash from the sampur, decorated with geometric motifs. She wears a batik-patterned sarong and a top with geometric motifs. The goddess wears two rings on her right hand and one ring on her left. She also wears jewelry and a necklace on both upper arms. She also wears a headdress with two elongated, hanging ornaments on either side. The goddess’s long hair is visible on the back of the statue.