Offering Tray (Talam)
Unknown Artist
13th–14th century
Medium
Copper
Dimensions
Diam. 17 1/2 in. (44.5 cm)
Classification
Metalwork
Culture & Period
Indonesia (Java) · Eastern Javanese period
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Samuel Eilenberg Collection, Gift of Samuel Eilenberg, 1996
Accession Number
1996.469
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art collection, this elegant copper Offering Tray, or *talam*, hails from Java, Indonesia, during the Eastern Javan period of the 13th–14th centuries. Measuring 17½ inches in diameter, it the refined metalwork of the Singhasari and early Majapahit eras, when Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms flourished on the island. These trays were essential ritual objects, used to present flowers, incense, food, and other offerings to deities, ancestors, or during temple ceremonies and royal processions. Crafted from copper—a durable and prestigious medium prized for...