The King of Fishes

Raden Mursada was rejected by his father, King of Rum and adopted by a poor couple. When he was a child he caught a magic fish with golden scales which became his protector. To cure his step-mother’s illness he embarked on a quest to find a special medicinal elixir/talisman and thus engaged in adventures involving beautiful princesses, both human and mystical.

The spiritual journey of Raden Mursada on the fish is a metaphor for the story of Islam coming to Java. The image depicts his journey to mythical Salaka Island, to find a talisman to sustain the faith of the travellers. Just behind the prince are two devout Muslims, Mashruh and Mashud, wearing skull caps. In some other glass paintings, there is an Arabic inscription in the upper left-hand corner commends the virtues of Islam.

While the prince is a character in Islamic Javanese literature, some elements are of the wayang (poppets) storytelling and of Hindu-Buddhist tradition. The giant fish for instance resembles the auspicious makuras seen at the entrance to the ancient Hindu-Buddhist temples in Java.

(Shortened from https://australian.museum/blog-archive/science/our-global-neighbours-journey-of-prince-mursada/)

A painting with the same design was exposed at the exhibition “Kaca-kaca Berlukisan Tradisi Jawa Tengah”, which was held by Bentara Budaya Jakarta on 1-5 September 1992 with the title “Anggono takon bapa” and at the exhibition “Pameran Lukisan Kaca Sulasno” which was held by Bentara Budaya Jogjakarta on 7-14 April 1993 with the title “Rojomino” (the same title also given by the artist).