Antique/Vintage Rare Face of Dewi Sri Goddess of Rice, Indonesia, Bali (1253)

Description

This rare wood painted face plaque of Dewi Sri is from the Hindu Island of Nusa Penida near Bali. Depicted as a beautiful young woman, she symbolizes abundance and the cycle of life. Dewi Sri who is worshipped as an Indian Hindu goddess as well as in the ,Javanese, and Sudanese traditions. In Bali, she is  the Goddess of Rice and Prosperity who controls agricultural fertility and the prosperity of all Balinese, all rice farmers, and even their life and death. Farmers erect permanent temples and periodic shrines dedicated to her within rice paddies, placing offerings and performing ceremonies and prayers to entice her blessings to ensure a successful rice crop.

Her origin comes from the worship of a prehistoric rice goddess coming soon after the initial stages of rice farming. Similar rice spirits and deities are found among many other Indonesian entities and in neighboring Asian countries, especially Thailand and Cambodia. The wide upper portion mimics the sharp, fan-like shape of a bunch of rice leaves sprouting from a stalk while the tapering narrow chin replicates the silhouette of a single rice grain. It displays traditional ancient highly exaggerated features—wide eyes, a small nose, and an elongated head—which symbolize the explosive, vibrant fertility of nature necessary to yield a bountiful harvest.

This carving would have been added to a shrine dedicated to her in a rice field, temple, or a village adjacent to rice fields. It was treated as a physical vessel for the goddess’s spirit to occupy.  It  was not worn; it was hung on a wood or thatch offering shrine erected in the rice paddies. Drenched in daily incense offering’s smoke and exposed to the elements and poor weather, the piece developed a distinct weathering pattern. When a new crop cycle begins, undergoes a consecration process performed by a local priest to invite the presence of Dewi Sri into the field using Holy water  incense smoke, and prayers. This transforms it from a mere piece of carved wood into an active spiritual vessel for the goddess. Farmers pray for Dewi Sri to guard the crops against the two greatest threats to a Balinese harvest: malevolent earth spirits who bring crop diseases, and physical pests like rats and insects. The plaque remains in the shrine absorbing weather and incense smoke until the rice turns golden-yellow and is ready for the final harvest ritual.

AI Comments Summary:

While Balinese dance masks are widely collected, authentic agrarian ritual objects used in the fields are far rarer. A genuine rice-field protector with a solid historical timeline is a highly sought-after piece of authentic Indonesian ethnographic art.