Discovered washed up on a beach after a particularly violent storm by his aunt, on a rare visit to Papua New Guinea in 1958, no-one is quite sure how Jinli made its way to Kupang in Timor where Kartika lived. 

It is known, because Buana told Baron, that it stood outside the front door of her tiny clothes shop for 47 years; a large talisman bringing her prosperity and good luck.

Bequeathing it to Buana, Kartika asked that he reveal and liberate the benevolent Djin she knew inhabited the sweeping lines of its remaining form.

In 2006, having owned and interacted with Jinli for three years after Kartika’s liberation, Buana set about his task. 

The result is a masterpiece.  Decades of abrasion by sand and sea had exposed the sweeping curves and ripples that had initially so captivated Kartika, but it was Buana who seamlessly blended them into the material forms.

It was only Baron’s long standing relationship with a close friend that allowed him to purchase the masterpiece from the reluctant Buana – although the high price eventually negotiated undoubtedly helped. All artists have pieces they wish to keep for themselves, and this is one of those.

Every angle, every point of view, reveals Buana’s genius. Whether examining the whispering tails, looking through the eroded core, or enjoying the spalting, there is never a bland view of Jinli.

Standing 6 feet tall as it is, Jinli is nonetheless provided with a rotating base so that her beauty can be fully appreciated.