The Sculpture of Indonesia, by Jan Fontein

Indonesia's sculpture, architecture and ritual objects, showcased in this impressive catalogue of a traveling exhibition, comprise an ancient art that combines graceful elegance with strength, and exquisite decorative effects with cosmological symbolism. We see the candi , equivalent to Western cathedrals, homes for the gods whose layout symbolizes the universe. Spotlighted is Candi Borobudur, with its magnificent storytelling reliefs and hundreds of life-size stone Buddhas. Indonesians' love of beauty shines through in elaborately carved hanging lamps, striking gold masks, meticulously crafted jewelry, ceremonial bells, female counterparts of the Buddha and bodhisattvas. Fontein, guest curator of the exhibit, and Indonesian scholars R. Soekmono and Edi Sedyawati, show how the archipelago's peoples transformed a flood of imported Indian images into a national style.