Abstract
Woodcarving is a significant craft in Malay society that reflects the local traditions and customs. It is a manifestation of craftsmen artistic skills and intutitive ideas into a piece of wood. It is also manifestation of the creative process of imitation, denaturalization, stylization and abstraction. Historically, the Malay craftsmen have created many attractive traditional art forms and one of it is the coconut graters (kukuran) . The ornamental carved kukuran is closely related to its Malay woodcarving tradition and philosophy. The aim of this paper is to illustrate this tradition of the great traditional Malay kukuran , the testiment of its time through its visual characteristics and design composition. This study presents an analysis of six kukuran , which were gathered from the state museums in Peninsular Malaysia. The discussion is focused on the formalistic and iconology aspects of the kukuran carving ornaments. The finding briefly shows the fusion of Malay concept of beauty, Malay culture and the understanding of Islam had been manifested in these domestic utensils - the ornamental kukuran
Highlights
The art of carving has been practised by Malays since the ancient time
Raja Chulan has written in Misa Melayu, mentioned the utilization of woodcarvings to decorate the palace of Sultan Iskandar Zulkarnain (1756-1780)
This paper offers some understanding and insight into the Malay concept of beauty as well as in the spirit of Islam
Summary
The art of carving has been practised by Malays since the ancient time. This art was closely devoted with the sculpture in the Megalithic culture (Abdul Halim Nasir, 1987). A collection of Megalithic stones in Pengkalan Kempas, prehistoric rock painting at Gua Tambun and a collection of ancient monument and artefacts had illustrated that Malays appreciated the art of sculpture and carving. The earliest evidence on woodcarving is in Malay literature, the Malay Annals (Sejarah Melayu). It describes the palace of “Lust and Desire” (Istana Hawa Nafsu) Sultan Mansur Shah of Melaka (1459-1477) was fully decorated with woodcarvings (Abdul Halim Nasir, 1987; Wan Hashim Wan The, 1996). The remaining carved wooden buildings are Istana Balai Besar of Kelantan, Istana Tengku Nik of Terengganu, Istana Raja Besut of Terengganu Istana Tengku Long of Terengganu, Istana Kota Raja of Terengganu, Istana Satu in Museum Negara, and Istana Sri Menanti of Negeri Sembilan
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