This interesting wall panel features beast with Islamic calligraphy forming the shape of its body in the center. The cloud motif that forms a ‘canopy’ symbolizing the sky found at the top corners of the panel is known as ‘mega mendung’. The motif of stony soil or rocks found at the bottom is called ‘wadas’, a motif typical in Cirebon, north coast of Java. These motifs are found on batik, woodcarving and shadow puppets (wayang kulit) designs.Although it is not quite clear when Islam first arrived in Southeast Asia, it first made significant impact on some Southeast Asian societies during the 14th- 15th centuries. Many of the first Southeast Asian communities which adopted Islam were coastal trading areas, such as Java.
