Forged in the heart of East Java, this striking metal mask—Topeng Besi—pays homage to the lost warriors and hidden artisans of the Majapahit Empire. The intricate carvings echo the patterns once found on ancient Javanese wayang puppets, while the fragmented form reflects the empire’s collapse, torn apart by internal strife and colonial shadows.
 
Forged by Pak Surono, a master metalworker from Trowulan, the former capital of Majapahit, Pak crafted this piece using traditional blacksmithing techniques passed down for centuries. Some say the mask represents Gajah Mada, the legendary prime minister whose hunger for conquest both united and doomed an empire. Others see the face of a nameless warrior, one of the thousands who vanished as history was rewritten by foreign hands.
 
The mask does not smile. It does not weep. It only watches, an iron reminder that power, like metal, can be both shaped and shattered.