Jar with basket mount

This blue and white jarlet has a wooden stopper and a rattan covering on its body. The rattan covering was added on by its Southeast Asian owner. Many jarlets such as this have been uncovered in Northern Sumatra. The Batak magician priest used this jarlet as a medicine container to hold a magic potion, known as ‘pupuk’. The use of black and white magic is very much an important part of the daily life of the Batak community in Northern Sumatra, which forms one of the largest minorities in Indonesia.Chinese ceramics were much valued in Indonesia, even among the tribal communities. They were passed down as heirlooms and were sometimes believed to have magical properties by the local communities.

See related items

A pair of mounted blue jars

Baluster jar

Covered basket

Pedestal basket