A Row of 9 Dolls

Coarsely carved from softwood. They are decorated with presumably, aniline ink. Design (vague batik motifs). All faces are similar. Acquired at an open-air market at Alun-Alun Selatan, Yogyakarta in 1999. Maker unknown.Height ± 20cm. These nine unsophisticated wooden figures are Museum Kolong tangga’s biggest riddle. Very little information exists about them. They were called “punkies” by the man who sold the “dolls”. That was all we got to know about them. They are angularly carved from a soft whitish kind of wood. The head is mask-like cut, rectangular with a rounded top that gives the idea of a hairdo or a tiara. The back of this intriguing toy is flat without any trace of color. This doll can barely stand. She has a narrow base and no feet. Her arms are stretched beside her body, they are only summarily indicated. Batik motifs are designed on their lower body with red and blue-purple aniline-ink (or another batik-dye?). Some sort a like dolls do exist, they are the product of Coptic handicrafts in Cairo (Egypt). But there’s no link between the Coptic and his obviously Javanese counterpart. Although that we call them dolls, does the possibility exist, that they might be something with a quite different purpose. Those punkies remain a riddle!