Alat Pencolek Celak Mata dari Kuningan (Artefak Tradisi Bercelak) [Brass Kohl Applicator (An Artefact of the Kohl-Wearing Tradition)]

Abstract

A brass kohl applicator stick (celak applicator), from the personal collection of Kamaruzzaman Bustamam Ahmad. Its head is openwork with a curve resembling a dome and a finial, and a small band that appears to be engraved with writing, while the stem is slender with a threaded base serving as a handle. The blunt tip of the stick is dipped into the kohl container and then drawn slowly along the inner line of the eyelid. The tradition of wearing kohl is very old: the ancient Egyptians were already using kohl thousands of years before the Common Era, both for beauty and to protect the eyes from the glare of the sun, dust, and disease. In Islam, applying kohl with ithmid (finely ground antimony stone or stibnite) is known as a recommended practice, based on a hadith stating that ithmid clears the vision and makes the eyelashes grow, and the Prophet Muhammad is said to have applied kohl before sleeping. From the Arabian Peninsula, Persia, and India, this tradition spread to the Malay world together with Islam; in Aceh and the Nusantara, kohl was worn by men and women, children, brides and grooms, and before Friday prayers and on festival days. Kohl sticks (called mil or mirwad in Arabic) were made of wood, bone, silver, or brass, often paired with an ornamented kohl container, and were personal items passed down as heirlooms. Today such traditional implements are increasingly rarely used. Kohl is sold in the form of pencils, liquid eyeliner, or practical tubes with built-in sticks that are more hygienic and easy to carry, while modern eye cosmetics offer a wide variety of colours and long-lasting wear. Health agencies such as the FDA have also warned that some traditional kohl contains lead, so consumers have switched to certified products. Even so, ithmid kohl is still sold in shops selling devotional supplies and is worn by some Muslims as a sunnah. This artefact records the fusion of aesthetics, health, and piety in the Islamic culture of Aceh and the Malay world.