A RARE 22.2 KARAT GOLD REPOUSSÉ 'BHOMA' BOWL, BALI, 19TH CENTURY

A RARE 22.2 KARAT GOLD REPOUSSÉ 'BHOMA' BOWL, BALI, 19TH CENTURY

Expert's note
The present bowl is a superb example that demonstrates how Balinese court art preserved and transformed the artistic inheritance of ancient Indonesia. The four guardian faces adorning the present bowl depict Bhoma, a fierce protective figure whose image traditionally appears above the entrances of Balinese temples and palaces to repel malevolent forces and safeguard the sacred spaces within, for example at the Ubud Palace (

fig. 1). Bhoma is closely related to the kala motif of ancient Javanese art, a similarly fearsome guardian face that features prominently in the goldwork of ninth- and tenth-century Central Java. The celebrated Wonoboyo hoard, discovered near Prambanan and associated with the court of the ancient Mataram kingdom (732-1016), contained nearly seventeen kilograms of gold and silver coins, bowls, ladles, jewelry, and ceremonial regalia, including a gold armlet centered by a repoussé kala mask (

fig. 2) and a gold repoussé bowl depicting scenes from the Ramayana (

fig. 3).

Indonesia. Finely worked with shallow rounded sides supported on a short foot, formed from a thin sheet of gold with the rim rolled around a hidden brass ring. Meticulously chased, embossed, and incised with four bhoma (kala) masks with bulging eyes and sharp fangs, separated by four panels containing oblong motifs, framed by bands of clouds below the rim and petals above the foot. The faces are separated by oval motifs against a finely ring-punched ground and framed above and below by scrolling foliate ornament.

Provenance: From the estate of Edward and Mary Ellen Gillespie, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, United States. The base with an old faint inscription in red ink.

Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, manufacturing irregularities, traces of handling and use, light warping, and occasional small dents.

Weight: 177.6 g
Dimensions: Diameter 16.6 cm

Metallurgy: XRF analysis identifies the object as being made from an exceptionally high-purity gold alloy, consisting of 92.4% gold, 4.2% copper, and 2.2% silver. The measured gold content corresponds to a fineness of approximately 924/1000, or 22.2 carats. With a net weight of 177.6 grams, the object therefore contains approximately 164.1 grams of pure gold. Based on the current gold price, this corresponds to an

intrinsic gold value of approximately EUR 17,500 (as of 8 August 2026). The brass ring inside the rim is estimated to weigh approx. 9-18 g which must be subtracted from the gold weight.

A bokor is a circular ceremonial dish or shallow bowl with a low, flaring rim. In Bali, such vessels were used to hold flowers or holy water, as trays for gifts and betel utensils, and as bases for banten gebogan—towering arrangements of fruit and cakes carried to temples as offerings to deities and deified ancestors. The present example is worked in finely controlled repoussé and chasing, its concentric registers of scrolling foliage and raised oval ornaments punctuated by four fierce kala-bhoma masks. The precious material and richness of its decoration identify it as an object created for a courtly or sacred setting.

Princely courts throughout Indonesia—known as kraton in Java and puri in Bali—were among the foremost patrons of precious-metal workshops. During the nineteenth century, the prosperous royal houses of Bali, including those of Singaraja and Karangasem, commissioned crowns, jewelry, kris fittings, ritual vessels, and other ceremonial objects both to proclaim dynastic authority and to glorify the gods. Gold bokor were among the rarest products of this patronage, intended for use in palaces and temples. Within court treasuries, precious ceremonial objects might also attain the status of pusaka, ancestral heirlooms whose sacred importance extended far beyond their material value.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related larger Balinese bokor, 29.2 cm diameter, dated 19th century, in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, object number 2004.2259.

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