Beschreibung:

A young Balinese bathing lady With a label of Rodja on the base with the text: 'Carved by Ktut Rodja, Bali' Executed circa 1959. wood sculpture, H 73 cm Provenance: -Bought by the father of the present owner at The Malayan-Javanese Arts&Curios in Singapore, the house of quality pieces of Indonesian Arts (with the original sales receipt dated 16 September 1959). I Ketut Rodja was a pioneer for the modernisation of Balinese woodcarving. He was born in Banjar Tarukan, Mas – Bali. Together with his cousin, I Made Geremboeang, he became recognised from the 1930s for producing the highest quality woodcarvings. Rodja knew President Sukarno well, who also collected his sculptures. The statue in this auction is one of his late works, before he died in 1965. This highly intriguing carving came from an estate. It was purchased by the parents of the current owner in 1959, while they were living in Singapore (see receipt). The typed label reads “Carved by Ktut Rodja, Bali.” A similar label has also been found attached to another known Ketut Rodja statue of the same period. This statue depicts a beautiful, Balinese woman with sensuous curves, who is standing on a rock while drying her hair. Most statues of Balinese maidens are either fully dressed or completely naked. This is a rare and the only known example where she is depicted with a towel wrapped around her. She stands 73 cm tall, her right hand pulls her long hair upward above her head to dry it. The rest of the hair is draped over her left shoulder and wraps underneath her left breast. Her left hand is holding the end of her hair. The tiny towel barely preserves her modesty, accentuating her curves. The texture of her towel is also interesting: the back with an overlapping parallel pattern which is folded over at an angle in the front to secure the towel from falling off. Peter Soemantri Widagdo