Gold, Silver & Brass: Jewelry of the Batak in Sumatra, Indonesia

Download or read book Gold, Silver & Brass: Jewelry of the Batak in Sumatra, Indonesia written by Achim Sibeth and published by 5Continents. This book was released on 2012-10-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first book to examine the rich jewelry traditions of the Batak people in Indonesia is a gorgeous tribute to a vanishing way of life. Batak jewelry is characterized by a wide variety of materials and forms, and has many functions: Jewels can be status symbols, badges of rank, attributes of membership into a certain age group, amulets and talismans, or simply ornaments. Men, women, small children, and even babies were once adorned with gold, silver, brass, bronze, or the gold-and-copper alloy known as suasa. Today, the Batak wear traditional jewelry only for celebrations like weddings, and these stunning works are rapidly disappearing, being melted down or sold. The nearly 300 precious works shown here are artifacts of a once-flourishing jewelry tradition.