Past loves: Tales of four devoted antique collectors
Past loves: Tales of four devoted antique collectors
By Emilie Sueur and Edith Hartanto
JAKARTA (JP): It is different strokes for different folks in
deciphering the attraction of antique collecting.
For British businessman David A. Whitaker, it runs in the
family, at least his wife's family.
Indonesian businesswoman Dewi Motik Pramono is drawn by both
sentiment and the desire to preserve national heritage.
Pakistani diplomat Ghufran Memon's love developed as he grew
up surrounded by antiques.
And for journalist Bhimanto Suwastoyo, it is a way of finding
his Indonesian roots and cultural origins after spending 17 years
abroad.
Whitaker, 41, who runs a consultancy and management services
agency, says he acquired the yen for collecting from his wife's
family, long-time Dutch residents of Indonesia.
His mother-in-law is an avid collector of antiques and owns
paintings by Dulla, ceramics from Thailand and a lot of
Indonesian furniture. His wife's uncle is also a great collector
of ceramics.
Whitaker, who has lived in Jakarta for 18 years, says his own
collection includes 17th century prints, paintings by Nyoman
Gunarsa, textiles from Sumba and Lampung and furniture from
Madura.
Dewi, the head of several companies and honorary president of
the Indonesian Businesswomen's Association, says she was raised
in a family which valued antiques. The same goes for her husband,
Pramono.
"I sleep in an antique oak bed, handed down from the great-
great-great grandmother of my husband from Solo (Surakarta). It
must be a hundred years old now," she said.
The bed comes with a tale. "In the past, they used to put
flower offerings under the bed because on Jumat Kliwon, the bed
would rock," she said.
Jumat Kliwon is a Friday that coincides with Kliwon, the third
day of the five-day Javanese week. It is supposed to carry bad
omens.
Dewi cherishes a wooden chair "which I've sat in since I was a
child".
Apart from sentimental reasons, Dewi treasures the objects to
preserve and keep them in Indonesia.
"I'm sad to see Indonesian antiques falling into the hands of
foreign collectors. Collectors can outbid us at auctions, and we
(Indonesians) end up losing them," she said. "They are part of
the national heritage and should be saved."
She said Indonesian antique dealers should produce
reproductions for sale. "Let the original antiques be kept in
museums or stay in Indonesia."
Memon, 34, commercial secretary in the Pakistan Embassy, says
he inherited his taste for antiques from his father, who acquired
many pieces of Hindus furniture during the huge migrations of
refugees after the partition of British India in 1947.
Bhimanto, who works for Agence France Presse, is the son of a
diplomat and spent most of his childhood and adolescence abroad.
When he returned to Indonesia, he felt something was missing
in his knowledge of his own country. Entering the world of
antiques allowed him to rediscover his own culture.
He hasn't looked back since and now says his house resembles
"Ali Baba's cavern".
Antique buying is not only an art, but requires strategy.
Ability to speak Indonesian is a decided advantage in building
a good relationship with dealers.
Whitaker, who started buying antiques in Jl. Ciputat Raya 10
years ago, confesses that he is a poor haggler. With the help of
his wife, he usually manages to get between 10 to 15 percent
price reductions.
Bhimanto, 41, says he doesn't like to bargain.
He agrees on the first price he considers reasonable. That is
why, he says, he usually goes to Jl. Ciputat Raya alone to avoid
being admonished by friends over settling too quickly.
Whitaker and Bhimanto like to add their personal touches to
some of the antiques they buy.
Whitaker recalls buying a 100-year-old Madura bed which was in
poor condition. He had it repaired at an antique shop, and had
its panels replaced with beveled glass mirrors he owned.
Bhimanto once hired a craftsman to modify a dilapidated old
wooden door according to his own tastes.
Experience is no guarantee against falling prey to fake goods,
but there are safeguards.
Whitaker warns it is essential to visit only reputable shops
unless one is an antiques expert.
The main problem is dating of furniture, he says, as an
excellent knockoff may be touted as the genuine antique.
Whitaker learned the hard way when he purchased an altar
table. After careful examination, it turned out to have been put
together from different sources, and some of the wood bears pale
blue paint.
Ghufran is discerning in what he buys and says he usually
consults Indonesian friends about the reputations of antique shop
owners.
Bhimanto has also fallen victim to sales pitches. He
discovered the two Kalimantan statues he bought were new
reproductions after one of them broke.
He believes there has been a deterioration in the quality of
antique furniture available in Indonesia. "Nowadays, it is very
difficult to find an original furniture piece from Madura as the
original source is drying up."