The Concept of Islamic Cosmology in the Srabad Banteng-Windu Glass Painting of Cirebon

Abstract

The traditional art of Cirebon reflects a convergence (acculturation) of various cultural elements from different historical traditions. One such example is the Srabad glass painting, which exhibits a cosmological pattern adapted from the pre-Islamic cosmology known as Triloka (Three Worlds). The visual form of the Srabad glass painting combines calligraphic inscriptions with anthropomorphic figures rooted in pre-Islamic mystical traditions. The Srabad Banteng-Windu glass painting, analyzed as a sample in this study, reveals the structure of Triloka cosmology through the use of motifs: the Wadasan motif as an interpretation of the underworld, the hybrid creature Banteng-Windu as an interpretation of the middle world, and the Megamendung motif as an interpretation of the upper world. This article presents a comparative study between Ibn al-‘Arabi’s concept of Islamic cosmology and the concept of the Three Worlds (Triloka) as reflected in the visual structure of the Srabad Banteng-Windu glass painting. The study employs a visual analysis method using a descriptive-interpretative approach, grounded in Islamic cosmology theory. The results indicate that the acculturation of cosmological concepts and visual elements from pre-Islamic traditions into Cirebon’s Islamic traditional arts represents an inward-to-outward adaptation process. That is, after internalizing the teachings of the Sufi order Tarekat Sattariyah, traditional artists expressed their understanding through artworks by borrowing visual elements from earlier, popular artistic traditions in Cirebon.