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."