They were asked to make markers for lost lovers. The markers are not to remind sadness. Instead, what is being asked for is: markers capable of giving those who pass away eternal life in memory.
Artists do that. They ordered sandstone suitable for the manufacture of tombstones. Sandstone is available in abundance in this place. Mined from the mountains, processed to order, then transported to the workshops where the artists work. They then executed the sandstones into the desired shape. It then becomes erect stones as markers. The shapes that are made are not at all scary. If one doesn't know it's a cemetery, one might mistake it for a sculpture exhibition garden. The tombstones are decorated with a variety of vivid floral motifs. The top is shaped like crowns that are typical of Southeast Asia. cylindrical tombstones for men, flat tombstones for women.
According to local historians, they are grave tombstones from the 18th century Aceh Darussalam, a kingdom that once existed on the northern tip of Sumatra Island in Indonesia. During its greatness, this kingdom had wide influence in Southeast Asia.
Who they were buried there, and who the artists who made the tombstones, are still a mystery to historians. No documents have been found that can provide a definitive answer.
But what is clear is that the artworks of these anonymous sculptors have given a picture of the past. Especially, about arts and culture that have existed in the past. Their works of art are sustainable through time. And as it is said, cultural objects can tell a story about themselves. The tombstones by the anonymous sculptor actually explain what is more important about them, about their ideas and feelings.
Was their mystery a part they deliberately left out of their time? Is mystery a part of art? I guess that's what makes a work of art so expensive?
