21 Indonesian Treasures in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
21 Indonesian Treasures in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Curated by Steven G. Alpert
In anticipation of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's reopening of its exhibition of 19th-20th century traditional Indonesian art, we are presenting some of our favorite items in the collection for our readership's appreciation and further consideration.
The Met's holdings of Indonesian art are diverse and extensive, ranging through many mediums and traversing numerous historical horizons. The finest sector of the collection, and the best of its type anywhere outside of the Nationaal Museum van Wereldculturen and Museum Nasional Indonesia in Jakarta, is a prodigious assemblage of prehistoric Bronze Age material (ca. 500 BC-500 AD) and classical Buddhist and Hindu (6th-16th century AD) stone, bronze and gold items from the Dr. Samuel Eilenberg collection.
Dr. Eilenberg, 'Sammy' as we affectionately all called him, was the co-author of a pioneering and landmark study of Algebraic Topology. He and his partner, Dr. Steenrod, developed axioms and rules for analyzing objects that utilize abstract algebra to study topological contours and ever-changing spaces further. Sammy collected art by applying the same rigorous standards. He once told me, "To really understand an object, you must become a Sherlock Holmes, Steven. Create a ledger for what is positive and also possibly negative. If there is one negative checkmark or even a question mark, don't even consider acquiring the piece." Elementary, one might say, but in practice not very easy. In everything, Sammy always pursued excellence. In 1987, Dr. Eilenberg gifted 400 outstanding examples of South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Indonesian material to the Met.
Five of six of the Bronze Age items featured here are from the Eilenberg collection. They are included for their high artistic caliber and affinities, with forms still being produced by the living Indonesian cultures represented in the museum's new re-installation. These include a tympanum from a large ceremonial bronze drum, decorated axe heads, and ritual vessels. The largest of these vessels was found in southern Sulawesi, which measures an astounding 41 3/8 inches (105.1 cm) in height (Purchase, George McFadden Gift and Edith Perry Chapman Fund, 1993). Again from the Eilenberg collection, there is a marvelous container with two powerfully positioned human figure handles and a kneeling female figure. In Indonesia, age-old belief systems are never entirely obliterated. Everything is layered. The collective advice and presence of the ancestors (adat istiadat) remain an important Indonesian philosophical tenet, no matter one's religion. It is still understood as essential to the well-being of an individual, their family, or their community.
Emblems of continuity, kinship, and social status are also reflected in a number of fine Indonesian textiles at the Met. A large horizontal beaded construction, a palepai maju, and a shell and beaded aristocrat's skirt (lau hada) from Sumba were originally published in Early Indonesian Textiles from Three Island Cultures from the former collection of Anita Spertus and Robert Holmgren. A fine early acquisition of a Lampung skirt (tapis inu) and an excellent ceremonial wrapper (tampan) from the collection of Ernest Erikson are also illustrative and typical of what could be collected in situ during the 1970s or earlier.
In the realm of sculpture, the collection was greatly enlarged and enhanced with the publication in 1994 of Art of Island Southeast Asia: The Collection of Rita and Fred Richman, authored by Florina Capistrano-Baker with a notable forward from Dr. Paul Michael Taylor. Seven items from the Richmans' gift of 166 pieces are reproduced here. They include an iconic carving of an ancestral couple (ana deo) from the Nage people from the island of Flores. There is something so joyful and tender in this unique composition as the male figure extends his left arm just below the female figure's right shoulder. The Richmans' former ancestor figure (yene) from Leti or a nearby island chain in the Moluccan islands is also an outstanding item, as are the five Batak works from Sumatra. They include two containers or guri-guri for magical substances. The first stopper is a finely articulated wooden figure riding a mythical animal (singa) that has been paired with a 17th-century Chinese export ceramic. The second depicts a nice Toba figure astride a singa, but with the unusual depiction of a rooster or hornbill resting on his head. There is also a puppet's head from a si gale-gale that was danced at the death of a childless couple. Lastly, from the Richmans, there is a sizeable apotropaic figure and a well-carved tunggal panaluan or priest's ritual staff.
In addition to the aforementioned pieces, there is a rare mask from the island of Flores and several items that bridge Indonesia, and its furthest point east, which is western New Guinea or Papua Barat, with the Met's world-renowned collection of Melanesian art. A well-known statue from Lake Sentani, along with a large decorated house post and an Asmat drum, round out this month's journey through Indonesia with artworks being held in stewardship by one of the world's leading museums.
Renovations always offer new insights and fresh entry points, not only in this case to the Met's collection but also to better appreciate some of the diverse artistic traditions from the world's largest archipelago and fourth most populous country.
— Steven G. Alpert, founder of Art of the Ancestors
1
Tympanum of a Pejeng-Type Drum
Sumba
Bronze
Samuel Eilenberg Collection,
Bequest of Samuel Eilenberg, 1998
2000.284.51
2
Ax Head with Human Body
Roti Island
Bronze
Samuel Eilenberg Collection, Bequest of Samuel Eilenberg, 1998
2000.284.39
3
Hafted Flask-Shaped Ax with Face
Indonesia
Bronze
Samuel Eilenberg Collection,
Bequest of Samuel Eilenberg, 1998
2001.433.404
4
Ceremonial Object in the Shape of an Ax
Possibly Sulawesi
Bronze alloy
Purchase, George McFadden Gift, and Edith Perry Chapman Fund, 1993
1993.525
5
Lime Container with Figural Handles
Java
Bronze
Samuel Eilenberg Collection,
Bequest of Samuel Eilenberg, 1998
2000.284.45
6
Seated Female Figure
Sulawesi
Bronze
Samuel Eilenberg Collection,
Bequest of Samuel Eilenberg, 1998
2000.284.41
7
Ceremonial Banner | Palepai Maju
Lampung, Sumatra
Fiber, ceramic and glass beads, cloth, nassa shells
Gift of Anita E. Spertus and Robert J. Holmgren, in honor of Douglas Newton, 1990
1990.335.28
8
Woman's Ceremonial Skirt | Lau Hada
Sumba
Cotton, nassa shells, glass beads
Gift of Anita E. Spertus and Robert J. Holmgren,
in honor of Douglas Newton, 1990
1990.335.1
9
Woman's Ceremonial Skirt | Tapis
Lampung, Sumatra
Cotton, silk
Gift of Ernest Erickson Foundation, 1988
1988.104.1
10
Ceremonial Textile | Tampan
Lampung, Sumatra
Cotton, silver-wrapped thread, silk
Gift of Ernest Erickson Foundation, 1988
1988.104.29
11
Nage Ancestral Couple | Ana Deo
Flores
Wood
Gift of Fred and Rita Richman, 2006
2006.510
12
Leti Ancestor Figure | Yene
Maluku Tenggara
Wood
Gift of Fred and Rita Richman, 1987
1987.453.5
13
Container for Magical Substances | Perminangken
Toba Batak, Sumatra
Wood, Chinese trade ceramic, tin (the protrusion/plug in the vessel)
Gift of Fred and Rita Richman, 1988
1988.124.2a, b
14
Container for Magical Substances | Perminangken
Toba Batak, Sumatra
Wood, trade ceramic, copper/zinc alloy (mouth inlay)
Gift of Fred and Rita Richman, 1988
1988.143.38a, b
15
Puppet Head | Si Gale-Gale
Toba Batak, Sumatra
Wood, copper alloy, lead alloy, water buffalo horn, paint
Gift of Fred and Rita Richman, 1987
1987.453.6
16
Figure | Gana-Gana
Toba Batak, Sumatra
Wood, fiber, tradecloth, cowrie shells, glass beads, brass
Gift of Fred and Rita Richman, 1988
1988.143.6
17
Ritual Staff | Tunggal Panaluan
Toba Batak, Sumatra
Wood, cotton, horse hair
Gift of Fred and Rita Richman, 1988
1988.124.1
18
Mask
Flores
Wood, fiber, paint, lime, and hair
Purchase, Discovery Communications Inc. Gift and Rogers Fund, 2000
2000.444
19
House Post Figure
Lake Sentani, Papua Barat
Wood
The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979
1979.206.1440
20
House Post
Lake Sentani, Papua Barat
Wood
The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1965
1978.412.842a
21
Chief Omas Drum
Asmat, Papua Barat
Wood, lizard skin, beeswax, sago palm leaves, fiber, paint
The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection; Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller and Mrs. Mary C. Rockefeller, 1965
1978.412.962
All artworks and images presented in this feature are the property of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art