In certain Malay communities, particularly along the east coast of the Malay peninsula, wood carving has been developed into an art form. High quality Malay wood carvings can be seen in traditional houses and palaces. Generally the wood used is cengal or jati, and both of which are durable hard woods.
Extremely well‑executed works in the form of pulpits (mimbar) furniture, decorative window frames and door panels are the marks of this traditional craft. The art of wood carving is also expressed in Muslim calligraphy (khat. It is customary to classify wood carving techniques into ukiran tebuk and ukiran timbul. In the first, the process involves punching patterns into the wood, while in the latter the carving usually creates designs, floral and geometric, which stand out above the surrounding wood. A basic pattern or motif is repeated and adjusted according to the position in which the carving is done. Types of carving are usually classified.
It is possible to trace the basic qualities of these motifs in terms of Malay history. It appears that traditionally the preference was for geometric designs. With the arrival of Hinduism, there were figures and images of deities as well as animals were introduced into the designs. Islam has from its very beginnings discouraged the carving of living beings, with the result that geometric motifs and those derived from nature, principally from the plant world, were used. Also popular were designs incorporating calligraphy. Overall, motifs seen in contemporary Malay wood carving reflect the influences of both Hinduism and Islam.
Flowers and leaves are considered eminently suitable as motifs in various sorts of carving because they represent the beauty of the natural world and do not offend the sensibilities of pious Muslims. Also seen in Malay wood carving are Quranic verses and heads of animals, depending upon where the carving is done. The use of calligraphic designs derived from the Arabic script or from the Holy Quran is fairly widespread. These may be featured upon walls window panes , the central post of a house (tiang seri) and elsewhere.
Carvings on the ambang pintu include calligraphy utilising verses of the Quran framed by floral or leaf motifs. The carving on the door is usually done in relief which is refined in workmanship. Motifs representing flowers such as the frangipanni (cempaka), lotus (teratai) and jasmine (bunga melur) are used. Often even the door post (tiang pintu) gets carved, and for this position the betel leaf (daun sirih) motif is popular. The centre post (tiang rumah) is usually decorated with floral patterns. Trellice work (jejala) plays an important part in a house or palace for ventilation as well as a means of providing variety in the decorations. At the verandah (serambi) side the jejala are usually shaped in diamond (empat segi bujur) design. Carved furniture items (perabot‑perabot rumah) include beds stands, tables and cupboards, with carved panels and legs.
Extremely well‑executed works in the form of pulpits (mimbar) furniture, decorative window frames and door panels are the marks of this traditional craft. The art of wood carving is also expressed in Muslim calligraphy (khat. It is customary to classify wood carving techniques into ukiran tebuk and ukiran timbul. In the first, the process involves punching patterns into the wood, while in the latter the carving usually creates designs, floral and geometric, which stand out above the surrounding wood. A basic pattern or motif is repeated and adjusted according to the position in which the carving is done. Types of carving are usually classified.
It is possible to trace the basic qualities of these motifs in terms of Malay history. It appears that traditionally the preference was for geometric designs. With the arrival of Hinduism, there were figures and images of deities as well as animals were introduced into the designs. Islam has from its very beginnings discouraged the carving of living beings, with the result that geometric motifs and those derived from nature, principally from the plant world, were used. Also popular were designs incorporating calligraphy. Overall, motifs seen in contemporary Malay wood carving reflect the influences of both Hinduism and Islam.
Flowers and leaves are considered eminently suitable as motifs in various sorts of carving because they represent the beauty of the natural world and do not offend the sensibilities of pious Muslims. Also seen in Malay wood carving are Quranic verses and heads of animals, depending upon where the carving is done. The use of calligraphic designs derived from the Arabic script or from the Holy Quran is fairly widespread. These may be featured upon walls window panes , the central post of a house (tiang seri) and elsewhere.
Carvings on the ambang pintu include calligraphy utilising verses of the Quran framed by floral or leaf motifs. The carving on the door is usually done in relief which is refined in workmanship. Motifs representing flowers such as the frangipanni (cempaka), lotus (teratai) and jasmine (bunga melur) are used. Often even the door post (tiang pintu) gets carved, and for this position the betel leaf (daun sirih) motif is popular. The centre post (tiang rumah) is usually decorated with floral patterns. Trellice work (jejala) plays an important part in a house or palace for ventilation as well as a means of providing variety in the decorations. At the verandah (serambi) side the jejala are usually shaped in diamond (empat segi bujur) design. Carved furniture items (perabot‑perabot rumah) include beds stands, tables and cupboards, with carved panels and legs.
Relief wood carvings frequently adorn the doors, walls and windows of traditional Malay houses. Popular motifs of such relief carvings are the various kinds of Malaysian flowers and plants. Relief carvings requires a high degree of skill, patience and determination. In the cities, relief carvings is still practiced on blocks of wood to be hung for wall decoration, on wall dividers, or on furniture.
The best Malay woodcarving is from Terengganu and Kelantan. Passed down from one generation to another, the craft is divided into ukiran halus (fine carving) and ukiran kasar(literally meaning “rough carving”). Ukiran Halus involves the carving of relief patterns, hilts of keris (short Malay dagger), bed heads and cupboard tops. Ukiran Kasar, refers to the carvings on larger objects like furniture, pillars, windows, room portions and eaves of roofs.
The Design
The basic design behind Malay woodcarving is the awan larat (‘extending clouds”). Its usage in a composition is governed by four principles. Firstly, the design element must be evenly distributed in the composition. Secondly, the empty spaces or uncarved areas should be the same as carved areas. Thirdly, animals or humans should never be depicted and fourthly, when there is a central motif, the other secondary design elements are to be repeated around it. Apart from the awan larat, other common inspirational elements include holy verses from the Qu’ran and plants such as bean tendrils, groung leaves, and leaves of the water lettuce.
The Wood
Cengal is the preferred wood for building houses and boats. Being expensive, other woods such as balau or perah (which is slightly softer than cengal) might be used for the rafters, or floorboards of a house or for the prow of a boat. Some types of wood such as Merbauand Rengas are avoided as the Merbau tree is believed to be the home of evil spirits while the Rengas contains a poisonous sap.
The Carving
The carving process involves four stages. First, the design is traced and transferred to the object such as a panel. Then the outline of the design is chiselled. Thirdly, the unwanted parts are then cut out. The final and most intricate stage is the actual carving itself. This being accomplished using a myriad of carving tools to pare, chisel, shave, drill and dig to bring the design to life. The final carving is polished using emery paper now whereas the dried skin of the stingray or the leaf of a wild plant called mempelas was used before.
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