Gebyok is not only craft, but also art

Leo Tolstoy said that “Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced”. But I want to say that woodcarving’s handicraft in Jepara is not only handicraft, but also art. In Queen Kalinyamat, Gebyok is one of exemplary masterpiece of wood carving. Gebyok is art, the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced. woodcarving is never form for form's sake. Gebyok is a form. It is never something abstract; it is always a sign of something. It is about human wisdom...
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Gebyok emerged in Queen Kalinyamat era. Gebyok is wood house that full of beautiful wood carving. Gebyok is created to reach practical, ethical and esthetical need. As practical need, gebyok is decent house for family who living in everyday. As ethical need, gebyok have sign for inhabitant about spiritual message. Woodcarving (SP Gustami, 2008) in Gebyok is message about human destination: harmony, wellbeing, and peace. Gebyok is full of harmony’s design, sign about stairway to heaven, ascending and descending of ancestry’s soul. Swastika is symbol of harmony and balance of living. Bud of bamboo is symbol of regeneration, fertility, and sustainability of living. Kala Makara design is symbol of love among mother and children.
Today Gebyok is everlasting as Indonesia furniture Cultural Heritage. It is one of Indonesian Masterpiece product. Gebyok is full of metaphor and articulation about human wisdom: wellbeing. A great work of art bears its meaning on its face. Gebyok is not only handicraft, but great work, because it have full of meaning.
Yes, Gebyok is not only traditional house of Jepara, but also traditional house of Kudus. Gebyok is expensive house, so so many rich man from Kudus bought it. Even, now, Gebyok is associated with Kudus. The traditional house of Kudus that mostly build before year 1810 M, ever reach the glorious time and become a symbol of prosperity for the owners. The Kudus Kulon area environment was formed with the particular existency of the traditional house of Kudus.
Rise awareness to be keen on and proud to the own regional historical culture, create a long dedication of efforts to maintain the most excellent of the culture values to stay exist and admitted its present, nationally and internationally.
The carving art of Kudus dominate by lotus flower as the meaning of Hindu religion. Sunan Kudus introduced a carving dominated by jasmine flowers that described united one to another. The meaning of jasmine was to describe that Islam religion at that time was a small community but it like jasmine, even small, could give fragrance to the sorrounding area. Jasmine made united in one to another to describe that everybody in neighborhood were live in peace even there were differences in the religion.
The fascinating wooden carved at the traditional house of Kudus must be come from the very skilled woodcarvers. Then, from where the woodcarvers came from?
The carving style of the wooden traditional house of Kudus was quite distinct from the other famous carving centre in Java, Jepara. Historically, Kudus was a carving centre long before it developed as a skill in Jepara. Carving was introduced to Kudus when an emigrant from the famous carving city of Yunan - China, The Ling Sing, arrived in the 15th century. He came to Kudus not only to spread Islamic teachings but also to devote his skills to the art of woodcarving, and his style, Sung Ging, was famous for its smooth and wonderful woodcarving masterpieces.
The Ling Sing was wellknown as mubaligh (spreader of Islam) called Kiai telingsing. The name of Kiai Telingsing until now use as a name of a street in Kudus city. There is a kampong or village surrounding the street called Sunggingan that predicted came from the Sun Ging name. The area, at the past, was belief as the resident of the woodcarvers and carpenters from the devotion of Kiai Telingsing skills.
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From the 16th to the 18th century, woodcarvers in Kudus received many orders to construct wooden houses. The main material - highest quality teak - was supplied from Blora's, Tuban's and Bojonegoro's forest. From the 19th century, however, high quality teak became scarcer and scarcer and this, in turn, discouraged the woodcarvers of Kudus to develop their skills.
The carving skills also belong to Jepara's people and has been very famous until now. There is an opinion, which said that wooden carved art in Kudus also done by woodcarvers from Jepara, eventhough in the reality it different in the carving models, especially in the mission and filosophy.
According the history, Mantingan mosque in Jepara has wall that made from carved white stone with the flower motifs that was masterwork of a Chinese called Tji Wie Gwan who brought by Raden toyib to Jepara after come back from his Islamic study in Campa for five years. Raden Toyib then married with Ratu (queen) Kalinyamat, the very famous Jepara's queen at that time.
For his achievement in build Mantingan mosque at the year of 1559, Queen Kalinyamat and her husband gave a new name for Tji Wie Gwan to become Sungging Badar Duwung, Sungging means carving expert, Badar same with stone and Duwung means tatah (tool for carving).
This Sungging Badar Duwung who then recognized as the root source of the Jepara's carving art which consecutively knowing in all over Indonesia and the world. According to history, he was too takes a part in the erection of mosque in Loram (a name of area in Kudus) and mosque of Menara Kudus.
Sungging Badar Duwung then devoted his skill to the surrounding community in Jepara as well as in Kudus and presented high skilled carvers that from time to time growth in numbers. This skill direct and indirect was useful in the process of developing the traditional house of Kudus.
To buy Gebyok, contact us:
Nasir Syar'an
+6285225027874
info@ethnic-contemporary.com
Contemporary Wood Furniture

Comments

  1. Nice blog. Glad to read about Gebyok. The carving art of Kudus dominate by lotus flower as the meaning of Hindu religion looks good and wooden carvings are amazing. Iflorist.co.uk

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