Indonesia

Indonesia is home to more than 300 ethnic groups, each with their own language and culture. The island nation lies at a crossroads of trade routes and has therefore been influenced by cultures and religions from both East and West for centuries. Hinduism and Buddhism were followed by Islam and Christianity. Islam is now the largest religion. Nevertheless, the traditional reverence for ancestors, who offer protection and fertility, has remained important in Indonesia. Statues, masks and ritual objects are an expression of this. Kris, batik and wayang are also still part of living traditions.

In September last year, the famous Singosari statues, originally from a temple near Singhasari in Java, were removed from Wereldmuseum Leiden and returned to the state of Indonesia. Recently, the empty space was filled in with this magnificent masterpiece: a Garuda statue. In Hinduism, Garuda is a mythical creature with physical characteristics of a human and a bird of prey. After Garuda is born, he finds out that snakes are trapping his mother. With the help of the god Vishnu, he manages to free her and, out of gratitude, Garuda becomes Vishnu's riding animal. Garuda is depicted on Balinese and Javanese shrines and objects and on the logo of the national airline of that name. Since Indonesia's independence in 1945, Garuda has been part of the national coat of arms, making the bird a symbol of Indonesia. This sculpture was probably made for a public space.

Dutch Queen Wilhelmina (1880-1952) was given a collection of dolls for her thirteenth birthday. The 350 dolls were meant to give her an idea of Indonesia’s different peoples. The collection was first exhibited in Batavia (today’s Jakarta) before being put on show to the Dutch public at the Kneuterdijk Palace in The Hague. The exhibition’s proceeds were used to finance scientific expeditions to Central Kalimantan. The collection of dolls was gifted to the Wereldmuseum Leiden in 1894 as a ‘tangible contribution to the knowledge  about Indonesia’ .