Ramayana

measurements: 68x42x2,5 cm
weight: 3060 gr
made by I WJ Rame, Gianyar, Bali

An antique wall panel showing the main characters of the Ramayana epic. Sita, Ravana, Rama and his brother Lakshmana. The squatting woman on the far left appears to be one of Ravana's servants, who was kind to Sita.
Even if the year of origin of the wall panel is not exactly known, much points to a high age due to the way it was made. A successful mixture of shallow and deep relief carvings. Remarkable is the border at the bottom of the picture, in the middle of which, and thus prominently on the front of the work, the carver has inserted his signature.

One of the most frequently used motifs for wall reliefs is a scene from the Ramayana, showing Rama (in the center of the picture, with the bow), Lakshmana and Sita. On the left is the deer, which is Marica (also Maricha) in transformation. Marica is a rakshasa, a demon who is allied with Ravana. Here in the wall panel, he appears to be depicted in his true form on the far left.
The wall panel is very old, made of heavy, very hard wood, executed as a low relief. The very classical depiction of the figures' postures and facial features lends the carving a beautiful antiquarian character.