Golden Statue, Java, 14th century
The 3rd poster that I painted for the Tropen Museum was for a golden statue from Eastern Java, 14th Century. It depicts an ancient poem about a demon king and a Buddha-prince through a journey to enlightenment. The handsome prince Sutasoma is shown being carried on the back of the demon King Kalmasapada towards his death. The demon kings' mother was a lion and because of this he had an unstoppable hunger for human meat. (I just realized this is another cannibal story) He also imprisoned one thousand princes who had been his sons. During their journey, the Prince convinced or reformed the demon king through his wisdom to become peaceful. The tale is full of ancestral kingdoms, palaces and princesses.
