Indonesian Yogya, Djokja Openwork Basket, Late 19th Century

An openwork basket with elegant 8-sided scalloped edges, with four Kala heads, between a floral pattern and centered on the bottom 2 snakes, intertwined.
The silver from the former Dutch colony, East Indies, present-day Indonesia.Traveling salesmen and repatriates brought many silver objects with them to the Netherlands. The largest and most beautiful production is from the period 1880 to 1930.

Balinese silver is recognizable by the motif used, the kala head (a mask of a monster lion) is a well-known motif. As a technique, of the Balinese silver is considered important, something that the Europeans in Indonesia were very fond of. In addition, the silversmiths used an old regional technique: embossing; this is hammering out the silver from the outside

The use of silver in Indonesian silver is often difficult to determine. In Indonesia, the amount of copper in the alloy and the associated hallmarks were not taken very seriously. In some cases there is only a number indicating the alloy, sometimes together with a maker’s mark. This basket has impressed twice the number 925.

The measurememnt is 5 cm high, 27.3 cm wide and the depth is 17.8 cm. (1 Inch = 2.54 cm) The weight is 190 grams.