Is Kotagede's Silver Craft Tradition Truly Initiated Since the Era of Panembahan Senopati?

While it is common understanding that the culture of silver craftsmanship in Kotagede began during the Mataram Islam period under the reign of Panembahan Senopati in the 16th century, does this align with facts, or is it merely an unproven narrative? As someone born and raised in Kotagede, earning a living from the silver craft, this question deeply intrigues my heart and mind. Let us examine this in detail and seek out the evidence that can be uncovered.

Of course, what I write here is not an absolute guarantee of truth, but it represents an effort to gather data supporting the assertions made. Research from any party is highly anticipated to uncover the historical truth of Kotagede's silver craftsmanship, which is said to have started during the Mataram Islam period under Panembahan Senopati in the 16th century.

As a metal, silver does not weather or decay due to weather conditions. Therefore, if Kotagede's silver craft had existed since the era of Senopati in the 16th century, we should still be able to find physical traces of 16th-century Kotagede silver craftsmanship in the 21st century. If we visit foreign museums, we can find many silver works crafted in or even before the 16th century. In contrast, Indonesian museums lack silver collections from Senopati's era, even though gold jewelry and utensils from the Majapahit era (around the 12th century) are frequently found.

Why is this the case? Was there truly no silver craft culture in Kotagede during Senopati's reign?

A university student who conducted research at Salim Silver once shared a conversation they had with Romo Suryanto Sastroatmodjo, a cultural figure from Yogyakarta who hosted the Bokor Kencana cultural column in the Bernas Yogyakarta newspaper. Romo Sur recounted that a silver craft culture indeed existed during the reign of Panembahan Senopati.

Why, then, is it so difficult to find silver art pieces from Panembahan Senopati's era today? The answer lies in the scarcity of raw silver at the time, as silver mines were not yet extensively excavated. Gold and silver, as crafting materials, have the unique quality of being highly recyclable. Because of this property, if a silver piece from Panembahan Senopati's era was damaged, it was melted down to create new designs. This continuous cycle of melting and crafting new silver works from older materials has made it impossible to trace the designs of earlier masterworks.

This cycle of melting old silver to create new items persisted throughout the Mataram Islam period under Sultan Agung, Amangkurat, and subsequent rulers, until a stable supply of raw silver was secured. Once raw silver supplies became sufficient, there was no longer a need to melt down older pieces to craft new ones.

Even in modern times, this process of melting down old silver works—either to sell as pure silver (acir) or to craft new designs—has reoccurred. Notable instances of Kotagede silver melting took place in 1998, 2008, 2020, and most recently in 2025.