UNKNOWN ARTIST, NORTH BALI, SCENE FROM THE RAMAYANA,
MEETING BETWEEN ANOMAN AND SAMPATI
LOr. 3390-271
Drawing on Dutch paper, watermark Concordia, countermark VdL, 34.6 x 42.3 cm
A leafy tree is depicted in the centre, leaves and flowers are indicated by green and red dots. A white monkey sits on the left facing right. He is a one-eyed ogre’s head ornament (karang bintulu) on each knee, shoulder ornaments and ear-jewels with flames. His necklace is a snake. He has a hairy chest, the way of drawing is characteristic of North Bali. A small fat man with green skin is lying on his back on the trunk of the tree. A large winged light green figure is on the right at the top. He has a pointed bird’s beak, a human body, human arms, human legs but with the skin of a bird and bird’s claws as feet.
A text in Balinese script in ink at the bottom left says: sangmaruti, Marut’s son. Maruti is an epithet of Hanoman, meaning the son of Marut, which is an epithet of the god of the Wind, Bayu. He is the spiritual father of Hanoman. In the centre, close to the green man is written: ‘’hordah’’, Ordah or Mredah, a servant of the right party. On the right is written: ‘’paksisempati’’, the bird Sampati.
A meeting between Hanoman and Sampati is depicted. This scene refers to an episode described in the Old Javanese Ramayana VII: 80-106. The monkeys under the leadership of Hanoman are searching for Sita who has been abducted. They arrive at an island ruled by pretty female demons. They are enchanted by the demoness Swayampraba, and have lost their sense of time. They aer depressed. A large bird comes to see them. It is Sampati, the elder brother of Jatayu who was killed by Rawana. The bird tells the monkeys that they should continue their trip to Langka in search of Sita. The artist has depicted Hanoman only, probably as representative of all the monkeys.