1985 Indonesia Bali Sinta Ramayana Dancer Temple Traditional Costume Postcard
Front
A colour photographic view of a Balinese dancer performing in the grounds of a temple.
The dancer stands at the right of the composition in the character of Sinta (Sita), the heroine of the Ramayana. She is posed in a classical Balinese attitude, torso inclined, both arms extended horizontally with the fingers splayed and flexed upward in the distinctive hand gesture of the dance, one knee bent. She wears an elaborate gilded crown (gelungan) with radiating pointed leaves, and her long black hair falls loose to her waist. Her costume consists of a fitted strapless bodice wrap in gold and dark patterned cloth, an ornate gilded collar and necklace, gold bracelets, and a body wrapping of gold songket over a green sarong patterned with woven geometric lattice in gold thread. A long pink sash hangs from the waist to the ground, and a length of gold cloth trails on the grass behind her feet.
Behind and to the left stands a temple pavilion: a tall stepped shrine base of dark red brick and grey carved stone, richly ornamented with sculpted panels, projecting cornices and small stone guardian figures at the corners, supporting an open timber structure of posts and railings beneath a wide overhanging thatched or shingled roof. To the right stand the pale carved stone pinnacles of a split gateway (candi bentar) with further shrine towers, and beyond them a low ornamented boundary wall and tropical trees under a blue sky with white cloud.
The foreground is a broad expanse of mown green lawn with a gravel path around the shrine base.
Deckle-edged white border. Some surface abrasion at the upper edge and minor spotting.
Back
Divided back, white stock, printed captions in pale grey at the lower left:
“Sinta, Tokoh Utama dalam Tari Ramayana.”
“Shinta, a principal figure in Ramayana Dance.”
Lower centre right:
“PS–A13”
A small floral publisher’s device lettered “S” appears at the lower centre.
Postally used. At the upper right is a printed Indonesian postal stamp impression showing a row of ASEAN member flags with the text:
“275,-”
“SIDANG TAHUNAN MENTERI LUAR NEGERI ASEAN KE 17 DI JAKARTA”
“1984”
“REPUBLIK INDONESIA”
beside the yellow and red ASEAN emblem.
(Translation: 17th Annual Meeting of ASEAN Foreign Ministers in Jakarta.)
Affixed alongside is an adhesive stamp of 25 rupiah in orange and brown depicting President Suharto in a peci cap, inscribed “REPUBLIK INDONESIA”, tied by a circular Denpasar postmark.
Addressed in blue ink:
“Mrs. M. LIEPINS
101 GORGE RD.
PARADISE 5075
SOUTH-AUSTRALIA”
with a pencil sorting notation “E11 69”.
A long handwritten message in Latvian fills the left half and continues around the lower edge, beginning:
“Sveicieni no Bali salas! 1985”
(Greetings from the island of Bali! 1985)
The writer notes the date 25.7, describes spending five days on the island, mentions arrangements and a stay at “Segara Village” at Tasik, referring to a large park with tropical trees, a swimming pool, a restaurant and a bathing area, and to Balinese dance performances given at the village. The message closes with greetings and the signatures:
“Aleks – Elaine”
Estimated Era
- The date is fixed by the message itself, which opens with “Sveicieni no Bali salas! 1985” and gives the day as 25 July, and by the postal markings: the pre-printed 275 rupiah postal stationery impression commemorates the seventeenth ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ meeting held in Jakarta in 1984, and the additional adhesive bears the Suharto definitive portrait issued during the same period, cancelled at Denpasar. The card itself is a Balinese tourist issue of the early to middle 1980s, with deckle-edged border and bilingual Indonesian and English captioning, produced for the visitor market that expanded rapidly through that decade. The dancer’s costume and the Ramayana dance repertoire shown were standard tourist performance fare in Bali from the 1970s onward.
Note: Coins & Banknotes Grading
- Please
closely inspect the photos to understand the condition of the coins or
banknotes before proceeding with your purchase, as grading can be
subjective and varies from person to person. - Please do not place too much hope on grading companies to grade the notes accurately, as they can be notoriously inconsistent.
- Different graders have different opinions, eye factors, and knowledge that influence the final grading.
- Even grading companies do not guarantee that you will get the outcome of your desired grading.
- If
you have any questions or require additional information, I am more
than happy to assist. Please feel free to contact me anytime.
Shipping Information
- Combined Shipping:
We offer combined shipping for all banknotes. To take advantage of this
offer, please add the items to your cart together and only proceed to
checkout once you are ready to pay. The combined shipping is calculated
at the checkout page. Please do not pay for items individually, as the
shipping costs will not be combined that way. - Customs, Duty, Tariff Fees: Buyers are responsible for any applicable customs, duty or tariff fees.
- International Shipping:
Shipping duration can vary, typically ranging from 14 to 60 business
days for standard delivery. Please be aware that these shipping times
are estimates and depend on the operational efficiencies of the shipping
companies, which we cannot control. - Postage Costs:
Please note that international shipping via Australia Post is not
cheap. We strive to keep the shipping costs as low as possible,
sometimes even absorbing a portion of the costs. All orders are sent
with end-to-end tracking for safety and reliability. - Untracked Shipping Requests:
If a buyer insists on requesting an untracked, cheaper shipping option,
we reserve the right to grant or refuse the request. If untracked
shipping is granted, please be aware that we have no way of tracking the
mail, and the buyer is strictly responsible for any losses in transit. - Tracking and Logistics:
Please check Australia Post for tracking status. Since we do not own
Australia Post, we have absolutely no control over their handling times
and methods. Australia is a huge continent, and logistics are
challenging, coupled with one of the highest minimum wages in the world,
making costs and operations tough. Please check with your postal
service or local post offices if any unattended mail notes are left, as
we absolutely can’t control that remotely.
Customer Conduct
- Please be respectful when communicating with us. We do not tolerate abusive behaviour from buyers.
- If you do not agree with the postage cost or any other terms, please refrain from making a purchase.
