MAJAPAHIT: MASTERPIECES FROM A FORGOTTEN Format: Hardcover

Flourishing in East Java, Indonesia, between the late 13th and the early 16th centuries, art from Majapahit had a decisive influence on the development of Southeast Asian culture: its highly distinctive style was characterized by the subtle balance between form and decoration and by a rich iconography strongly influenced by Sivaism and Buddhism. Today, these Majapahit artworks still constitute a highly interesting field of research, but they have been surprisingly far too little studied or published worldwide. This volume presents an exceptional selection of 86 Majapahit terracotta sculptures covering a wide range of sophisticated iconography—animals, images of motherhood, divinities—all drawn from popular legends of the period and part of a broader narrative series waiting to be discovered.

Agus Aris Munandar (*1959) is currently a professor of Indonesian archaeology at the Universitas Indonesia in Jakarta. His research fields include Hindu-Buddhist archaeology and iconography, as well as ancient Indonesian history and the archaeology of Southeast Asia. He is now head of the Department of Archaeology and head of the Professors’ Assembly of the Humanities faculty. He has written several articles and 19 books, some of which are related to Majapahit culture and artifacts.