Basreliëf met een vertelling van Krishna en Rukmini, aan de oostzijde van Candi Panataran Possibly 1867

This photograph by Isidore Kinsbergen shows a bas-relief on the east side of Candi Panataran, and depicts a narrative of Krishna and Rukmini. The surface texture of the stone is quite rough, each block carefully fitted, and the relief carved with remarkable intricacy. When seen in person, the play of light across the surface would bring the story to life. The labor involved in quarrying, transporting, and carving the stone would have been immense, reflecting the social context of the temple’s construction. The temple's structure is not a ‘fine art’ object made by a singular ‘artist’, it is a collaborative effort, involving numerous skilled hands, with their own rich traditions, and made to express a complex theology. This photograph provides just a glimpse into that world, and challenges our assumptions about art, craft, and collective labor. It is a document of an entire civilization's artistic and spiritual endeavor.