Small Balinese Limestone Frog Sculpture, 1980s

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Small Balinese limestone frog sculpture (large). Authentic small local sculpture, found in Bali in a large outdoor garden. Surface weathered … Read more Small Balinese limestone frog sculpture (large). Authentic small local sculpture, found in Bali in a large outdoor garden. Surface weathered by the elements, natural patina, contains traces of soil, lichen, and other natural elements. Dimensions of the frog: Height: 18.5 cm; Width: 10 cm; Depth: 11 cm; Weight: 1.23 kg. Stone sculptures occupy a significant place in Balinese daily life and spirituality. They are often found in domestic gardens, courtyards, or water temples. They are generally carved from a light-colored volcanic limestone that quickly becomes covered with moss and lichen in the tropical climate, an aesthetically desired evolution that places the sculpture within a living and organic cycle. Formally, several types of sculptures exist, such as crouching gardens, divine or semi-divine figures, ornamental motifs, or elements related to water. Frogs are deeply connected to water, rice paddies, and rainfall cycles. In Bali, where the entire agricultural system relies on water management through subak (irrigation networks), they symbolize fertility, abundance, and regeneration. Logically, they are found in gardens, near ponds, or in temples associated with water. They are an extension of life, an echo of the humid, soundscape. They act as an element of continuity in a Balinese garden, where the aim is to maintain a balance between the built and the natural. Small frogs work perfectly in low, horizontal compositions, near ponds or thresholds, creating a gentle visual presence without monumentality. This sculpture is part of a collection of musical frogs, each one different. See less