RI, Dutch museums revive past glories

RI, Dutch museums revive past glories

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesian and Dutch museums have called the exhibition Shared
Cultural Heritage, although the artifacts on display all hailed
originally from the archipelago's ancient kingdoms: Singosari,
Majapahit, Gayo and Karangasem, to mention but a few.

Let us not dwell on the puzzling title because the exhibition
itself is much more interesting.

Displaying 329 ethnographic and archeological artifacts, the
three-month exhibition at the National Museum is a resourceful
and extraordinary event.

The rare and magnificent articles in the exhibition are
collections of the organizers of the exhibition: 151 articles
from the National Museum of Indonesia (MNI), previously
Bataviaasch Genotschaap, and 178 others from Rijksmuseum voor
Volkenkunde (RMV) in Leiden.

For the event they have highlighted the collection from the
Singosari kingdom, Malang, East Java.

They decided to focus on Singosari because artifacts on
display now are masterpieces of the period, the secondary peak in
arts achievement after the Syailendra era in Central Java.

From a total of seven in its Singosari collection, RMV sent
five statues, of which two, Arca Durga Mahisasuramardini and Arca
Ganesa, belonged to the main temple of Singosari.

From MNI's Singosari collection, there is the most beautiful
arca (statue), the Arca Prajnaparamita.

The handiwork is refined, showing deft craftsmanship of the
artists concerned.

The statues are magnificent works of Javanese ancestors from
the 13th century, showing the high cultural achievement of
Indonesian ancestors.

Besides the Singosari collection, the front of the exhibition
hall also houses a collection from the Trowulan site, Mojokerto,
East Java, which is considered the center of the Majapahit
Kingdom, as well as a collection from Borobudur Temple, Central
Java.

The exhibition is quite well arranged: After seeing the
artifacts and the useful information in the front hall, patrons
may stroll inside, where collections are categorized according to
place of origin.

Other collections comprise royal jewelry, antique cloth,
household equipment, ceremonial gear and decorative items.

The explanatory text attached to each article is quite
informative. However, the organizers have provided two types of
catalog for further information.

The most complete catalog is sold at 25 euro or Rp 319,000
(US$32).

MNI and RMV have had a close relationship since the 19th
century.

During the 350-year Dutch occupation, Dutch missionaries,
military officers and government officials often acquired the
artifacts of the archipelago's kingdoms and communities.

In the 19th century, the Dutch gathered artifacts from
individuals and institutions, subdividing them into items for RMV
in Leiden and the then BG (MNI) in Batavia (as Jakarta was
known).

In Jakarta, the exhibition was opened by President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono and visiting Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot
on Aug. 18.

After the exhibition in Jakarta, the artifacts will be sent to
De Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam, to be displayed in another three-month
exhibition from December 2005 to February 2006.

in box

Shared Cultural Heritage
through Nov. 15
National Museum
Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat No. 12
Central Jakarta

tel. 3868172