DepartmentAsia
Duryudana (wanda: Jangkung)
NameWayang kulit, shadow puppet
Maker
Ki Joko
CultureJavanese
Place madeKaranganyar, Java, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Asia
MediumWater buffalo hide, ancur, paint, water buffalo horn, metal leaf (gold or bronze), wood
DimensionsOverall: 41 3/4 x 18 1/8 in. (106 x 46 cm)
Credit LineIFAF Collection
Object numberFA.2007.40.11
Collections
"Ki Purbo Asmoro Collection
Performer: Ki Purbo Asmoro; also: Ki Sudarsana
Artist: Ki Joko
Place and Date Made: Karang Anyar date unknown; acquired by Ki Purbo Asmoro in Wonogiri, 2005
Jangkung means "'a tall person." This puppet represents Duryudana without a crown, probably before he became King of Hastina. The figure appears in many lakon from the Mahabharata cycle of stories.
Duryudana goes by other names at times, including Kurupati, Jaka Pitana, and Suyudana. In the Mahabharata, Duryudanais the eldest of the one hundred Kurawa children. His parents are the blind King Drestarastra and his conniving wife, Gendari (also
known as Anggendaril. When he is growing up, Duryudana studies the noble ways of knighthood with the court teachers Durna and Bisma. At the time, Duryudana studies alongside his siblings and his rival cousins, the five Pandhawa brothers. However, the relationship between the two sets of cousins is plagued by conflict, competition, and deception. When he grows up, Duryudana becomes King of Hastina, though the position rightfully belonged to his cousin, Puntadéwa. The battles that ensue between the Pandhawa and Kurawa cousins eventually lead to a great war, the Bharatayuda. " (Katz-Harris 2010)
Wiji Sutikno
