1. A rare pair of painted armorial Green sea turtle shells (Chelonia mydas), with the Tyerman and Warren coats-of-arms
England, late 19th century
Each large carapace is intricately painted with heraldic emblems. The first shell bears the coat-of-arms of the Tyerman family, while the second depicts the assumed arms of the Warren family.
H. 91 x W. 72.5 cm (Tyerman)
H. 92 x W. 75.5 cm (Warren)
Provenance:
Private collection, United Kingdom
The heraldic motifs suggest a possible connection to the marriage of Albert Henry Warren (1830-1901), a noted artist and ornamental designer, and Augusta Warren nee Tyerman (1831-1909). Albert Henry Warren was an influential figure in the Victorian art world, authoring A Guide to Beginners on the Art of Illuminating (1860), a manual advising on heraldic colours and symbols. The use of the turtle shells as a canvas for heraldic designs aligns with the Victorian fascination with family lineage, identity, and artistic display.
Albert’s father, Henry Warren (1794-1879), served as President of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour and was celebrated for his orientalist works. His painting The Return of the Pilgrims from Mecca (c. 1847-1848) was praised for its “Eastern and Egyptian character.” Using turtle shells - an object linked to the Mediterranean and Eastern regions - may be a homage to his father’s legacy in Orientalist art, with Albert positioning himself within the same artistic lineage.
In Fairbairn’s Book of Crests (1905), a combined coatof-arms for the Warren and Tyerman families is recorded for their son, John Rosier Warren, who was born in 1862, further solidifying the genealogical link between the emblems on these shells.
2.
A wall console made from a real tinder hoof bracket fungus (Fomes fomentarius)
Possibly Germany or Austria, 19th century
L. 32 cm
3.
A superb Victorian dome with taxidermy Australian parakeets
England, 19th century
From top to bottom, included are the Purple-crowned Lorikeet (Glossopsitta porphyrocephala), Red-headed Lovebird (Agapornis pullarius), Red-capped Parrot (Purpureicephalus spurius), Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus moluccanus), Musk Lorikeet (Glossopsitta concinna) and the Western Rosella (Platycercus icterotis).
H. 65.5 x W. 50 x D. 24 cm
Provenance: Private collection, France
England, late 19th century
L. approx. 40 cm
Provenance: Private collection, Belgium
England, 19th century
Provenance: Private collection, Belgium
5. An antique taxidermy Kea (Nestor notabilis)
6.
Petrus Johannes Schotel (1808-1865)
”Storming of the harbour tower at Damiate, 24 August 1218” (circa 1850)
Signed lower right Ink, pen, grey wash on paper, H. 23.8 x W. 37.4 cm
This drawing of the capture of the harbour-tower at Damiate by Frisian crusaders on August 24, 1218, apparently is a preparatory study for the included colored lithograph, one in a series of 45 lithographs published in 1850 under the title Heldendaden der Nederlanders ter zee (maritime acts of heroism by the Dutch). The capture of the tower at Damiate was considered by Schotel the first act of Dutch heroism at sea and thereby the beginning of the Dutch seaborne power.
7.
Claes Jansz. Clock (c.1576 - c.1602)
”Sailing through the harbor chains at Damiate in 1218”
With caption by Cornelis Schoneaus, dated 1595
Copperplate engraving over two sheets, H. 51 x W. 73 cm
The ship, with its iron saw-toothed bow, breaks the harbour chain and carries two banners: one displaying a barren tree, the old coat of arms of Haarlem, and the other featuring the rising lion, Leo Hollandie (Dutch Lion), along with a long pennant adorned with the two-headed eagle, the emblem of the Habsburg emperor. Above the ship, two angels display the new coat of arms of Haarlem, featuring an upward-pointing sword and a cross. Above this, a banderole bears the motto of Haarlem: Vicit Vim Virtus, while below, the insignia of Nova Harlemi reads: Virtute parta. In the year 1188, Haarlem was awarded a new coat of arms, a symbol of bravery, in 1188 (a century ahead of its time!). The new coat of arms of Haarlem is believed to have been granted by the Habsburg Emperor in recognition of the bravery displayed by crusaders from Haarlem during the capture of Damiate in Egypt. This is a myth that emerged solely in the 16th century.
Damiate, a small town on the borders of the Eastern Nile, was taken by Christian crusaders during the First Crusade, but in 1181, it was reclaimed by the Muslim ruler Saladin. Between 1217 and 1218, during the Second Crusade, crusaders primarily from Friesland, an area extending from present-day North Germany to Dutch Zeeland, launched a renewed effort to capture Damiate. Damiate was safeguarded by a tower and harbour chains spanning the Nile. On August 24, 1218, the tower was captured, primarily due to the efforts of the Frisians. Following the capture of the tower, the Frisians made their way back home, and the city of Damiate was ultimately seized on 5 November 2019, without any involvement from crusaders from Friesland or Haarlem. The subsequent mythologization of heroism that emerged in Haarlem, both in word and image, was entirely rooted in fantasy. The current engraving by Clock is thus entirely mythical.
Literature: Jaap van Moolenbroek, Nederlandse kruisvaarders naar Damiate aan de Nijl, Hilversum, Verloren, 2016
8.
A gem-set ivory sculpture of an Ottoman sultan
Probably Southern Germany, early 18thcentury, the base 19th century
The figure, which is dressed in a long, elaborately detailed partially gem-set robe with ornamental designs along the edges and is wearing a turban adorned with a feather and further inlaid with gemstones, is mounted on an octagonal base of later date, made of alternating panels of ivory and tortoiseshell.
H. 25.5 cm (incl. base)
Provenance:
Private collection, Brussels
This figure represents the fascination with ‘Turquerie’ in 18th-century Europe, where Ottoman themes were in vogue in art, design, and architecture. This rage was also called ‘Turkomania’. The depiction of this sultan shows the blend of admiration and exoticism that characterised European views of the Ottoman Empire during this period. Such sculptures were often produced for wealthy collectors who sought high-quality representations of Eastern rulers, catering to the demand. The present sculpture was rather exclusive, for the gems (amongst which diamonds) are typically Ottoman-cut. They might well have been spoils from the Battle of Vienna, where the Ottomans were defeated after two months of siege, in 1683.
9.
A rare inlaid ebony mirror with the Medici coats-of-arms attributed to Leonardo van der Vinne (act. 1659-1713)
Florence, late 17th-century
The octagonal mirror decorated with scrolling vines and flowers the top and bottom each decorated with the Medici coat-of-arms in opposite colours, the somewhat larger black empty spaces very finely inlaid with hair-like lines of wood or metal.
H. 49 x W. 42 cm
Provenance: Noble collection, Belgium
Wolfgang Hugo Rheinhold (1853-1900)
”Eritis sicut Deus” (1st half 20th century)
Bronze on a black stone plinth, H. 33.5 cm
Hugo Rheinhold pursued a career in sculpture later in life. He commenced his career as a prosperous entrepreneur in Hamburg, engaging in trade between Germany and the United States. In 1879, he married; however, his wife soon passed away. He subsequently liquidated his business and relocated to Berlin, where he pursued studies in philosophy and sculpting. His most renowned sculpture is “The Ape with the Skull,” created in 1892. The title “Eritus sicut Deus,” meaning “You will be like God, knowing Good and Evil,” alludes to the words spoken by the serpent to Eve in Paradise. The book associated with Darwin, upon which the ape is perched, relates to On the Origin of Species, published in 1857. Despite Rheinhold’s disagreement with the theory of evolution as a devout Jew, his sculpture attained significant prominence in numerous zoological and medical institutions globally, including the Department of Zoology at the University of Edinburgh, the Royal College of Surgeons in London, the Boston Medical Library, and even on Lenin’s desk in the Kremlin.
In 1893, the Gladenbeck foundry in Berlin acquired the rights to cast the sculpture, a privilege they maintained until 1950.
11.
Premier Livre de Histoire de la Navigation aux Indes Orientales par les Hollandois
Printed by Cornelius Nicolas, circa 1598
Coloured title page to the first edition in French, H. 27 x W. 22.5 cm
On April 2, 1595, three newly constructed and heavily fortified merchant ships, along with a smaller yacht, set sail from the Netherlands. Commanded by Cornelis de Houtman and Gerrit van Beuningen, this expedition was authorised by Prince Maurits, marking the inaugural Dutch voyage to the East Indies. Prior to the expedition, Cornelis de Houtman had collected ‘secret’ information regarding the East in Lisbon. The mapmaker Plancius supplied maps and valuable insights to the captains, while Jan Huigen van Linschoten, who had previously sailed with the Portuguese to East Asia, contributed the itinerary. Despite the meticulous preparations, the voyage did not proceed successfully.
The two commanders, De Houtman and Van Beuningen, clashed and displayed a lack of tact in their interactions with the Javanese. In August 1597, after a span exceeding two years, two of the three ships returned to Holland with merely 87 of the original 240 crew members and scant cargo. Despite not achieving financial success, this initial voyage demonstrated the feasibility of trade with the East.
12.
Seven prints from “Maniement d’Armes, d’Arquebuses, Mousquets, et Piques. En conformit de l’ordre de Monsignieur le Prince Maurice, Prince d’Orange, Comte de Nassau et. Gouverneur et Captain General de Gelres, Hollande, Zeelande, Utrecht, Overijssel...
By Jacques de Gheijn II (15651629), published in Amsterdam by Robert de Baudous, 1608
Each print numbered respectively 1, 4, 12, 16, 23, 30, and 40, hand-coloured engravings, H. 23.9 x W. 18.8 cm (each)
Jacques de Gheyn famous pictorial army manual was for use by officers to teach young recruits how to handle their weapons. The book contains three series of plates on the use of the blunderbuss (42 plates), the musket (43 plates), and the picket (32 plates), with accompanying texts of 5, 4 and 4 pages.
For a copy of the complete book for sale, see: Guus Roell & Dickie Zebregs, Uit Verre Streken, November 2021, no. 1 (ill.)
12.
A painted folding fan depicting an allegory on Dutch trade
Spain, circa 1780
Painted on vellum, with in the center the personification of Holland holding a quill and a cornucopia. A cupid offers her a pearl necklace. Minerva unrolls a floral fabric reminiscent of Indian textiles, while Mercury, the god protecting commerce, rests on a barrel ‘CV’. The sides feature cupids, one symbolizing Fame, the other holding a flag emblazoned with the letters ‘VOC’.
H. 28 cm
Provenance: Private collection, France
13.
A Dutch West India Company GWC almanack for the year 1760
By Dirk Jansz. van Damn, published by the Heirs of the Widow C. Stichter, Amsterdam, 1759
In its original full calf binding, with a gilt double fillet line and corner fleurons around the covers. The front and back covers centrally have the intertwined Dutch West India Company (Geoctroyeerde West Indische Compagnie), chamber Amsterdam monogram GWC A inside a wreath, and dated ANNO 1760 beneath.
14.
A Dutch East India Company VOC almanack for the year 1785
By Meindert van Dam, published by the Heirs of the Widow C. Stichter, Amsterdam, 1784
This thus far unknown edition of the 1785 almanack featuring the Amsterdam coat-of-arms has its original full calf binding with a gilt floral border around the covers, featuring small corner ornaments. The spine is ribbed and decorated with gilt fleurons. Both covers display a central intertwined VOC monogram and the Amsterdam coat-of-arms within a laurel wreath, with ANNO gilt-lettered at the top and 1785 likewise at the foot.
Provenance:
Collection Cornelius J. Hauck, Cincinnati
The titles freely translate to:
The Heirs of Stichters Publisher’s Almanac, for the Leap Year of Our Lord Jesus Christ, 1760, Including all the Yearly, Horse, Cattle, and Leather Markets as well as the Holidays, the Navigation of Canal Boats and Trade Ships, the Travel of the Post, etc. Along with the Moon’s Rising and Setting.
15.
A Dutch Caribbean silver water-scoop
Curaçao, early 19th century, apparently unmarked
L. 39 cm / weight 247 grams
The form of the water-scoop is derived from a half coconut on a wooden handle. Silver water-scoops, in various forms, were quite common in Central and South America. Silver was supposed to disinfect water, but a silver water-scoop undoubtedly also was a sign of the prosperity of its owner.
Curaçao was a small community with very few silversmiths working there in the 19th century. Hardly any pieces were marked and probably most of what was made in Curaçao was exported to mainland South America. For another water-scoop from our collection, coming from the famous Palm family, see: Uit Verre Streken, December 2020, no. 9. Another unmarked silver scoop from the collection of Mr. van de Walle is illustated in Uit Verre Streken, June 2014, nr. 6. In the 1940s Van de Walle collected and published on antique Curaçao furniture and silver while working there as a journalist. He was the first Dutchman to collect the applied arts from the Dutch Antilles. (1)
Provenance:
The Ecury family, starting with Francisca Ecury Gomez (1832-?), an enslaved women coming from Venezuela to Curaçao. She was possibly given the water scoop at her manumission in 1868, after which she moved to Aruba. By inheritance to her son Eugenio Candido Ecury (1860 -1893), hence to his son Segundo Nicasio Ecury (1888 - 1967), and to his daughter Yvette Ecury. In the house of Ecury, today the National Archeological Museum in Aruba is situated.
Source:
1. Jan Veenendaal, “Meubelen en zilver van Curaçao in Antiek”, in: Tijdschrift voor Oude Kunst en Kunstnijverheid, November, 1994, pp. 24-31
16.
A rare Amsterdam decorated Chinese export porcelain plantation spittoon
Yongzheng/Qianlong period, circa 17201740, over-decorated in Holland
On a short, straight foot with a ribbed, rounded body, decorated with a continuous tobacco plantation scene. The short straight neck is decorated with gold and ink bandwork, above which a gently sloping wide rim is decorated with a continuous plantation scene on the inside and with flower sprays on the outside.
H. 9 x Diam. 13.5 cm
Provenance: Private collection, France
Amsterdam played a central role in world trade during the 17th and 18th centuries. The city greatly benefitted from international trade, including the trade in enslaved Africans and their labour on plantations in Surinam. Many wealthy Amsterdam citizens were shareholders in this plantation economy and
made vast fortunes. This wealth enabled them to collect luxury products, including Chinese porcelain. The objects they collected reflected their status and their connections to global trade. Standing among the collection, one was meant to feel at the centre of the world. These kinds of collection ‘cabinets’ arose from encyclopaedic thinking-the idea of the superior European ‘who could easily gather the world and place it in a room’.
The original porcelain came from China, where it was made and exported to Europe. Chinese porcelain was highly prized at the time and was often imported by the VOC (Dutch East India Company). However, as in this case, some pieces were further decorated in the Netherlands with European scenes and designs. This over-decoration often was done in Amsterdam, where specialized workshops added European-themed decoration to porcelain. The goal was to cater to the tastes of wealthy European collectors and increase the value of the porcelain.
The spittoon shows scenes of plantation owners, probably European gentlemen, enjoying their wealth (and tobacco). This directly refers to the involvement of the wealthy Amsterdam elite in the plantation economy and the tobacco industry. This imagery reinforces the connection with plantation culture and the wealth that came from it. It was not hidden-in fact, it was flaunted. Enslaved Africans are depicted as putti, small Cupid-like figures. The image can also be interpreted as an ‘allegory’ of the tobacco industry, from production to use. However, the message remains the same.
In the Rijksmuseum collection (object.no. [BK-NM-12400-403](https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/nl/collectie/BK-NM-12400-403), there are two spittoons made of Delft earthenware, with almost identical decoration, arguably by the same hand. It seems plausible that a ‘factory’ sold Delft earthenware and Chinese porcelain spittoons alike, decorated in the same way.
The decoration could have been applied in Amsterdam, but due to its refined quality, it is likely that it was decorated in Delft-although
over-decorating is widely known as ‘Amsterdam decorated’. As was Amsterdam, Delft was an important centre for the over-decoration of porcelain at that time. There were several workshops and studios that specialized in decorating imported products, including Chinese porcelain.
The over-decoration was applied using so-called encre de Chine (Chinese ink) and other enamel paints on the already glazed porcelain, which was then re-fired. This technique was executed carefully and required great skill, as the decoration was applied on top of the original glaze without damaging the porcelain. Chinese porcelain was already considered a luxury product, but the over-decoration increased the exclusivity and status of such objects. Combining the ‘exotic’ (Chinese porcelain) and the locally adapted (European decorations) made it a status symbol among wealthy collectors. It was a very costly possession at the time, and only the most affluent citizens could afford such objects. The wealthiest citizens were arguably the ones who invested well in the trade of humans and their slave labour.
17.
A drawing depicting a plantation scene
Probably Surinam or Guyana, late 18th century
Watercolour on paper, H. 10 x W. 15 cm
On the right, two enslaved people can be seen in a hut and beyond more enslaved people working sugar cane fields. On the left there are two white men walking, one holding a spear and the other what appears to be a bag of some sort and a bottle, and in his other hand a bundle of flowers. Strangely enough, these men are quite remarkably dressed, besides they are walking on bare feet. Could they be biologists?
The present work probably is a random combination of motifs drawn after images in books, and was sold as a 'souvernir' to Europeans visiting their 'investments'.
18.
A colonial tortoiseshell veneered casket with silver mounts
Probably Spanish colonies, 17th century
H. 15.2 x W. 25.1 x D. 12 cm
Included is a hand-written letter, reading:
Ik Ondergetekenden verklare bij dezen, dat mijn Wel en Begeerte is, dat na Mijn verleyden door Mijne Erfgenamen dit kistjhe met Zilver beslag, met al het geene daar in word gevonden, in vollen Eygendom word af en overgegeven aan Mijn Peete Kind Willemina Aletta Johanna van Boetzelaer. Delft 20 April 1825 G.J. van Voorst
Which translates to:
I, the undersigned, hereby declare that it is my will and desire that, after my passing, this box with silver mounts, along with everything found within it, shall be transferred in full ownership to my godchild, Willemina Aletta Johanna van Boetzelaer. Delft, 20 April 1825 G.J. van Voorst
Tortoiseshell used in luxury works of art and in furniture veneers is derived from the outer layer of the sea turtle’s shell, primarily the giant Green (Chelonia mydas) and Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) turtles.
19.
A Spanish-colonial chocolate cup (jícara) with silver mounts
South America, probably 18th century
The goblet-shaped cup with two handles and on a spreading openwork foot.
H. approx. 9.5 cm
The cup seems to be made of a cocoa bean pod, although nearly all museums holding similar pieces in their collection point towards the coconut.
The decadent cocoa beverage has its origins in ancient Mesoamerican societies, when the Aztecs and Maya invented a frothy, spicy chocolate beverage that was used in ceremonies and as a regal luxury. It could give the consumer a rush which would benefit contact with the devine.
When the beverage eventually made its way to Europe, sugar and milk were added, making it a creamier, sweeter beverage that was connected to rest and comfort - things only for the upper classes. Drinking the brown liquid was something rather 'exotic'. Sets of cups like the one present would really show the 'worldliness' of the server.
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20.
A Virgin Island ‘scrimshaw’ turtle shell commemorating the Transatlantic slave trade
Probably Danish Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, circa 1917
L. 65 x W. 40 cm
Provenance:
Antwerp antiques trade (purchased in the 1980s)
Private collection, the Netherlands
This artifact, likely from St. Thomas around 1917, features an engraved turtle shell depicting scenes related to the transatlantic slave trade. The shell, possibly made to mark the 1917 transfer of the Danish West Indies to the United States, includes imagery of enslaved Africans, colonial forts, and ships associated with the slave trade, such as the Fredensborg and the John Barclay. The imagery draws on historical prints, with American and Danish flags hinting at early 20th-century influences. The piece may have been created by or for the African Caribbean community in the Virgin Islands, visually capturing the region’s colonial history under Danish, British, and American rule.
The Fredensborg, a Danish slave ship, transported enslaved Africans in 1767-68 from West Africa to the Caribbean, suffering significant human losses. The shipwreck was discovered in 1974, illuminating brutal aspects of the slave trade, including forced ventilation modifications to preserve enslaved people as cargo. The John Barclay likely refers to the family behind Barclay’s Bank, which held ties to Caribbean plantations; the Barclays eventually emancipated enslaved individuals on one of their Jamaican estates in the late 18th century.
This engraved shell, created as a commemorative artifact, encapsulates a painful history, portraying the enduring legacy of slavery and colonialism in the Virgin Islands.
21,
A large Kayapo Amazon Indigenous child’s feather headdress
Brazil, Xingu River, collected between 1954 and 1977
Made from a cotton thread, woven and decorated with colorful Orange-winged Amazon (Amazona amazonica) and Red-andgreen macaw (Ara chloroptera) feathers.
H. 97 x W. 53 cm
Provenance: Collected by Marcel Isy-Schwart (1917-2012); thence by descent 22.
An Amazon Indigenous Kayapo feather headdress
Brazil, Pará or Mato Grosso, circa 1950’s-1960s
H. 50.8 x W. 33.5 cm (incl. stand)
Provenance: Collection Rinck Hollnberger, Munich (purchased in the 1980s)
23.
An Amazon Indigenous Kayapo feather headdress
Brazil, Pará or Mato Grosso, circa 1950’s-1960s
H. 55 x W. 38 cm (incl. stand)
Provenance:
Collection Rinck Hollnberger, Munich (purchased in the 1980s)
24. A Kayapo Amazon Indigenous feather headdress
Brazil, Pará, circa 1950s-1960s
H. 97 x W. 106 cm
Provenance:
Collection Rinck Hollnberger, Munich (purchased in the 1980s)
25.
Henri Langerock (1830-1915)
The Iguazu waterfalls in Brazil (1886)
Signed lower left and indistinctly annotated lower right Oil on canvas, H. 101 x W. 191 cm
This is a rare example of one of Langerock’s large panoramic paintings of Brazil, in which the impressive Iguazu Falls, on the border between Brazil and Argentina, serve as a backdrop for this depiction of an indigenous village. On the left, a group of men is coming out of the forest, probably returning after the hunt, and some men are on horseback in the village. On the far right, another group is preparing a meal on fire, and in the centre, men armed with bows and arrows guard the entrance
to the village. The very detailed depictions of the many subjects in this painting, including the lush tropical fauna, show the keen ethnographic interest of the artist.
After his studies at the Akademie van Schone Kunsten in Gent, Langerock travelled widely in Italy, Africa (mainly Egypt, Nubia and Sudan), and South America. He participated with his paintings in the Paris Salon from 1879 to 1884 and again in 1893 and 1901. Between 1881 and 1886, he lived in Brazil, where he worked with the Brazilian painter Victor Meirelles (1832-1903) on a large panorama of Rio de Janeiro. This panorama was awarded a gold medal during the World Exhibition 1889 in Paris. Also in 1889, Langerock exhibited a painting in Brussels entitled ’Panorama, Village Indien de l’Amerique du Sud’, possibly the same as the present painting.
26.
A rare Ottoman Algerian silver and red coral inlaid flintlock pistol
Algeria, late 18th century
With three-stage barrel (old pitting) retained by a replacement engraved silver band at muzzle and chiselled with a design of symmetrical foliage along the breech, engraved tang, flat bevelled lock and cock inset with silver panels chased with foliage, steel chiselled en suite, figured hardwood full stock inlaid with engraved silver foliate cagework secured by pins and almost entirely enclosing numerous drop-shaped and circular pieces of red coral (corallium rubrum), silver mounts comprising spurred faceted pommel lightly engraved with foliage and with rounded cap chased with foliage, trigger-guard with foliate finials and reeded bow, turned faceted ramrod-pipes, and later wooden ramrod.
L. 48 cm
Red coral was prized for its rarity and a prominent decorative technique used on arms in the Ottoman Empire, particularly in Algeria. Similar coral-decorated firearms were amongst the gifts offered by the Dey of Algiers to George IV, the Prince Regent of Great Britain, in 1811 and 1819. They can now be found in the Royal Collection in Windsor Castle (inv.no. CH2075) and the Royal Armouries in Leeds. Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States of America, too was presented one by the Tunisian Ambassador Mellimelli on behalf of the Bey of Tunis in 1805-6 and is now in the Smithsonian (inv. no. 2000-6339).
The background to this last presentation was Ambassador Sidi Soliman Mellimelli’s highly colourful diplomatic mission to Washington D.C., of which as a result he successfully averted the impending threat of war between Tunis and the United States. When the USS Constitution captured Tunisian vessels, a crisis ensued. Threatened by war, Tunisian representative Ambassador Mellimelli was sent to the United States to negotiate a diplomatic solution. He told the Americans that coming home without solving the matters wasn’t an option because he would be beheaded upon his return. This way, and perhaps with the splendid guns, he was able to gain the empathy of the Americans, resulting in a peaceful solution.
27.
An Egyptian mummified head
Probably New Kingdom, XVIII Dynasty, circa 15501069 BCE
H. 21.5 cm (approx. top of head to bottom neck)
W. 22 cm (approx. back of head to nose)
D. 15 cm (approx. ear to ear)
Provenance:
Sotheby’s London
Collection Rinck-Hollnberger, München
(purchased at the above the 1990s)
Mummies were displayed in the kunstkammers of the 16th and 17th centuries and later in museums. The first mummies to enjoy great renown in Europe were the embalmed, clothwrapped mummies of Egypt. A trade in burial objects and mummies had already been operating for a very long period of time: Egyptian graves were looted for such items as far back as during the Ramesses dynasties (1290 BCE to 1070 CE).
In the hope of finding further valuable objects under the bandages, many mummies were unwrapped with no scientific purpose in mind. Later, they were still sometimes used as decorative items, but were otherwise of no commercial significance. In order to meet the great demand from the 18th century onwards, forgeries of antique mummies were also increasingly manufactured and sold. Up until the 20th century, the powder made from ground mummies (Mumia vera aegyptiaca) was still regarded in Europe as a cure for almost any disease. In North America, the cloth bandages in which the mummies had been wrapped were used to manufacture paper.
Follower of Andries Beeckman (1628-1664)
African Woman with Tambourine (c. 1685-1725)
Watercolour on paper, H. 31 x W. 20.5 cm
The paper has an Amsterdam coat-of-arms watermark used between 1685 and 1700. Since paper could have been stored, this drawing might have been made slightly later, but probably in the last quarter of the 17th century.
Provenance:
Private collection, United Kingdom With Finch & Co, London
Andries Beeckman travelled to the Cape and Batavia (Jakarta) as one of the few artists early in the 17th century. Beeckman’s work provides valuable visual accounts of 17th-century life in the Dutch colonies. His works are characterized by intricate details and a keen observation of daily life, trade activities, and the diverse peoples of the former Dutch East Indies and the Cape.
The African woman in this watercolour can be seen wearing ‘slave beads’. These had the symbolic function of reinforcing a woman’s social identity and, simultaneously to ward off evil (or potentially dangerous spirits). The beads were silent witnesses in one sense, and they were also exquisitely revealing in others. They spoke loudly to individuals familiar with their cultural framework. Ironically, one reason owners of enslaved Africans let women wear beads and other similar objects that expressed a woman’s African cultural identity was that the potent symbolism escaped ‘Western’ eyes. European or Euro-American men saw beads as simply decorative trifles: women’s things not worthy of much heed; thus, they survived. By diminishing the importance of jewellery, members of the dominant culture unknowingly permitted its use and, hence, its African symbolism to persist unchecked.
According to the other copy in the Rijksmuseum, the original title of this drawing is ‘Een Kafferin’. The term Kaffer or Kaffir, is an exonym and an ethnic slur – the use of it for black people being particularly common in South Africa. In Arabic, the word kāfir (“unbeliever”) was originally applied to non-Muslims. During the Age of Exploration
in early modern Europe, variants of the Latin term cafer (cafri) were adopted in reference to non-Muslim Bantu peoples even when they were monotheistic. It was eventually used, particularly in Afrikaans, for any black person during the Apartheid and Post-Apartheid eras, closely associated with South African racism. It became a pejorative by the mid-20th century and is now considered extremely offensive hate speech.
This drawing is one of a series of illustrations depicting non-Europeans, often presented in an album. Andries Beeckman probably made several similar series that found a ready market among European collectors and owners of cabinets of curiosities. The Album de Paulmy in the Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal in Paris contains fifty-five sheets of people and animals, of which two are signed by Beeckman. This series includes inhabitants and animals from Asia, Africa, and South America. Beeckman would have been able to see the Asian and African subjects on his journey to Indonesia, so most of them were probably drawn from his own observation. This is not the case for the South American animals because, as far as we know, Beeckman never visited that continent. Beeckman’s watercolour series were so popular that they were still being copied well into the 18th century. Fragments of at least three other series are known.
The Rijksmuseum acquired sixteen sheets, which are early copies after Beeckman too like the present drawing (see extra images). To judge by the watermark and the style, they date from the last quarter of the seventeenth century or the beginning of the eighteenth. They may have been made after an original series by Beeckman that has not survived because several drawings in this series, like The Ternatan, The Persian and The Mestiza, are not in the Paulmy Album or other series. Research has revealed that eighteen sheets from the same series are still in private collections. This means that we know of thirty-four watercolour drawings in this series, sixteen of which are in the Rijksmuseum. The present drawing is part of another series of drawings - since the Rijksmuseum already holds a copy of the woman with a tambourine. Due to the comparable watermark in both drawings, they were made at almost the same time and perhaps by the same hand.
A rare set of six Chinese export porcelain ‘Governor Swellengrebel’ plates
Qianlong, circa 1750
Three shallow and three deeper dishes in porcelain with underglaze blue and heightened with gold, with in the center of the plates painted in grisaille and gold in side an oval shield, a gold fleur-de-lis under a coronet with two gold stag horns on top.
Diam. 23.5 cm (each)
The fleur-de-lis coat of arms is associated with the Swellengrebel family, first documented in the 14th century in Nordhausen, Germany. During the 17th and 18th centuries, several members of the Swellengrebel family participated in the VOC and were stationed at several VOC trading posts, including the Cape Colony and Canton. The current plates are part of a substantial dinner service commissioned by Hendrik Swellengrebel (Cape of Good Hope 1700 - Utrecht 1760). Hendrik, the progeny of Johannes Swellengrebel (Moscow 1671Cape Town 1744) and Johanna Cruse (Cape Town 1682 - 1715), was the inaugural individual born in the Cape to assume the position of Governor-General of the Dutch Cape of Good Hope from 1739 to 1750, when he departed for Holland. The dinner set he bought in China arrived at the Cape shortly after his departure and was subsequently dispatched to Holland.
Provenance:
Hendrik A.M. Swellengrebel (1942-2021) the great-great-great-great-grandson of Governor Hendrik Swellengrebel of the Cape
30.
Josephus Jones (1769-1811)
“Gezicht van het Casteel can Cabo de Goede Hoop van Binnen te Zien”
Signed geteekent door Josephus Jones luitenant der artillerie lower right Watercolour and ink on paper, H. 24 x W. 36 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, Capetown
Depicted is a rare detailed interior view of Cape Town Castle. Jones, who joined the military corps at the Cape of Good Hope in 1784, is noted for his cartographic and artistic contributions during his service. His first cartographic explorations were conducted between 1789 and 1790 under the guidance of Lieutenant J.C. Frederici, where they surveyed the southwest coastal region from Cape Agulhas to Algoa Bay. The resulting map and an agricultural census of the area became part of Governor C.J. Van de Graaff’s collection during his tenure at the Cape (1785–1791). Jones also drafted plans for Dutch East India Company posts along the South coast, which are also part of the Van de Graaff Collection.
In 1791, he collaborated again with Frederici to map St. Helena Bay, and he produced plans of the governor’s residence at Newlands and possibly at Rondebosch. After the British annexation of the Cape in 1795, Jones was captured as a prisoner of war but later resumed his role as a draughtsman during the Batavian Republic (1803–1806). He continued to work for the government after the second British annexation in 1806.
Many of Jones’s early maps are now housed in the Van de Graaff Collection at the Topographical Institute in Delft, Netherlands, where they are celebrated for their quality and advanced cartographic techniques. As an artist, Jones’s watercolours can also be found in the Fehr Collection in Cape Town and in Groot Constantia, depicting military camps at Wynberg and Rondebosch (1805). His most famous work, a six-panel panorama of Cape Town from 1808, is preserved in the Rembrandt van Rijn Art Foundation at Stellenbosch.
Indian Ocean
31.
A pair of Persian lacquer book covers
Persia (Iran), Qajar dynasty, 1st half 19th century
Watercolour and gold on layered pasted paper, H. 23.4 x W. 17.8 cm
One binding with on one side a man/servant pouring wine in a tall flask, and on the other side a scene of three men visiting a (holy) man in a tent with people in the windows of a building and two females behind the tent are looking on. The other binding with on one side a female/ courtesan resting against cushions, holding a small wine cup with a flask in front of her, and on the other side again males visiting a (holy) man in a tent, and again people in the windows of a building and two women behind the tent looking on. Are these depictions to symbolize an earthly pleasure on one side and a spiritual endeavour on the other side?
32.
A large sandalwood model of a South Indian temple gate or ‘Gopuram’
South India, Tamil Nadu, 2nd half 19th century
H. 70 cm
A gopuram is the entrance to (South Indian) temples, features a wagon-vaulted roof crowned with kalashas and intricate carvings of high craftsmanship. By the medieval period, royal patronage led to significantly taller gopurams, exemplified by those at Gangai Konda Cholapuram and Shrirangam. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Europeans in India often acquired models of significant monuments. This particular model, likely from the 19th century, was made for a British colonial officer of the Madras Presidency. It reflects the ornate and colorful gates of the Minakshi-Sundareshwara temple in Madurai, which boasts fourteen multi-tiered gateways adorned with thousands of brightly painted figures of deities, animals, and demons.
A closely related gopuram model, dated circa 1880, but 80.5 cm tall, can be found in the collection of the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore, (access.no. 2003-00229). Another one, dated late 19th to early 20th century, can be found in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (access.no. IM.6-1926).
33.
A large Indian mother-of-pearl bowl on foot
Gujarat, Indo-Portuguese, late 16th/early 17th century
The large boat-shaped bowl, carved from the side of an exceptionally large Turbo shell (Turbo marmoratus) is placed on a raised octagonal foot.
H. 12.7 x W. 17.5 x D. 8.5 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, United Kingdom
During the mediaeval time, Gujarati artists made elegant mother-of-pearl caskets, mirrors, and boxes. The delicate craft of inlaying and carving sparkling motherof-pearl from seashells produced elegant goods valued worldwide.
Portuguese traders who had created routes to India in the 16th century were intrigued by these exquisite artefacts and began exporting them to Europe, where they were considered ‘exotic’ and opulent. These pieces catered to the exuberant taste at Portuguese and other European courts.
34.
colonial tortoiseshell veneered casket with silver mounts
Probably Portuguese colonial (Goa), possibly Spanish colonial (Manilla), 17th century
H. 18.5 x L. 25.2 x D. 12.1 cm
Until recently these caskets were often classified as Spanish or Portuguese but it has become clear that they were produced over a very wide geographic area under European patronage in workshops in India, Sri Lanka, Batavia, China, the Caribbean, Central and South America in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Distinguishing regional characteristics are generally only found in the type of decoration of the mounts.
A
35.
An Indo-Portuguese bone-inlaid ebony and teak writing box with gilt-brass mounts
India, Goa, 17th century
The box, overall inlaid with a delicate pattern in ebony and bone in teak reserves bordered by brass-studded ebony, is of oblong shape. The corners, lock-plate, hinges and handles all executed in fine gilt brass. The box has a document drawer with a lock to the bottom and a lid to the top, also with a lock, reveals an interior with several compartments with original lids, ebony sander and an idem ink-well.
H. 20.5 x W. 45 x D. 35.3 cm
Provenance: Private collection, Porto
36.
Quirijn Maurits Rudolph VerHuell (1787-1860)
”Coraal krabben van het Eiland Diego Garcia”
Signed and titled upper centre Watercolour on paper, H. 22 x 28.5 cm
VerHuell was a Dutch naval officer, author, painter, entomologist, and collector of natural history specimens. In 1802, at the age of fifteen, he enlisted in the Batavian Navy as a cadet under his uncle, Admiral Carel Hendrik VerHuell. He rapidly advanced in his career, attaining the rank of Second Lieutenant in 1807 and serving as Adjutant to Rear-Admiral Buyskes, who had been designated Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies by King Louis Bonaparte, the king of the Netherlands under the French occupation. After the French occupation of Holland ended, VerHuell enlisted in the reinstated Dutch Navy as a captain lieutenant and, in 1815, was dispatched to the East Indies to succeed the English forces that had controlled the Dutch East Indies. In 1817, he participated in the quelling of the Saparua revolt led by Pattimura against the Dutch colonial administration. Following the defeat of the insurgents and the execution of their leaders,
including Pattimura, VerHuell developed an affection for Pattimura’s daughter, Christina Martha; nevertheless, she viewed him and other Dutch individuals with disdain. Following the conclusion of the campaign, VerHuell’s vessel, the Admiral Evertsen, required extensive repairs, allowing VerHuell to utilise his leisure time to explore the Indonesian archipelago and its natural marvels, producing several sketches and watercolours while collecting various zoological and botanical specimens.
In early March 1819, VerHuell departed for Patria (Fatherland), carrying not only his own collection of naturalia but also an extensive assortment of plants and seeds intended for the Hortus Botanicus of Leiden University. The Admiral Evertsen, however, remained unfit for sea, merely arriving to Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, where it was abandoned and subsequently destroyed, resulting in the loss of all collections on board. Prior to his rescue, VerHuell spent six weeks in Diego Garcia, during which he created several sketches of the atoll’s natural marvels, including the current watercolour of the crabs.
37.
A Dutch colonial ebony box with silver mounts
Sri Lanka or Batavia (Jakarta), circa 1680-1720
The document or money box is densely carved with fine scrolling vines and lotus flowers. It has a charming heart-shaped silver lock-plate and compartments inside.
H. 18 x W. 31.5 x D. 23 cm
Provenance: Private collection, Portugal
Jan Veenendaal described this type of carving as ‘Batavia II’. It can be recognised by elegantly waving calyxes that look like stylised lotus flowers. The borders of the present box and other type II furniture are almost like stylised rope. Veenendaal argues that only the most skilled Tamil and Bengali craftsmen made these finely carved pieces. Around the date this box was made, the Dutch had selected only the best craftsmen among their enslaved people. However, the people from South Asia were soon outnumbered by immigrants from the non- Muslim Indonesian islands and Madagascar. With the disappearance of the Indian and Bengali enslaved and contract woodworkers, the vogue for ebony also halted in the Dutch colonies. Another reason for the latter could be that by then, the Dutch had almost cut down every ebony tree around the Indian Ocean into extinction to cater to their craze for the black gold.
Source: Jan Veenendaal, Aziatische kunst en de Nederlandse Smaak, Waanders, Zwolle, 2014
38. A Dutch-colonial tortoiseshell bible box with silver mounts
Sri Lanka, mid to 2nd half 18th century
L. 11 cm
Provenance: Private collection, the Netherlands
In the Dutch East Indies, many Dutch and Indo-Dutch ladies on their way to church were accompanied by a slave carrying a precious little bible box. To show off their wealth, these boxes could be made of gold with inlays of gemstones, of silver, ivory, tortoiseshell or at least of expensive woods. In 1753 Governor-General Jacob Mossel esteemed it necessary to regulate ostentatious displays of wealth. In his “Regulation against pomp and splendour,” he decreed, among other things, that only the wives or widows of the highest-ranking VOC officials were allowed te be seen publicly with gold bible boxes.
39.
A highly refined Dutch-colonial inlaid box with silver mounts
Sri Lanka, Galle district, 18th century
The box is made of amboyna burr with inlays of ebony, bone and burr wood and has several interior compartments, all made with the utmost attention to detail.
H. 12 x W. 30.6 x D. 17.8 cm
The box bears a label at the underside reading: M. Teunissen, 62 Lange Voorhout, The Hague, Curiosities & work of art, Furniture of all styles. Antique plates. Probably this box was to store valuable items, such as small curiosities, gems or jewellery.
40.
A large set of sixteen fine colonial ebony side chairs and an armchair
Coromandel coast, circa 1650- 1680
Several chairs bear the (remains of) a label which reads ‘The Property of the Trustees of the Will of ARTHUR GEORGE EARL OF ONSLOW’, and numbered ‘28’ confirming that they were previously part of the furnishings of Clandon Park House, a famous listed Palladian mansion in Surrey and seat of the Earls of Onslow.
H. 97 x W. 54-55 x D. 47 cm (side chairs)
H. 100 x W. 65.5 x D. 61 cm (armchair)
Provenance:
Clandon Park House, Surrey
Rainer Zietz Ltd., London, (1994)
Private collection, Germany
Earl’s Court Road Antiques dealer, London (circa 1960)
Cary Welch, London
Private collection, Belgium
This type of chair usually turns up in England and seldom in Holland, although they were probably ordered by the Dutch on the Coromandel Coast of India. Possibly the Hindu motifs of animals and humans in the carvings of these so-called “Kust stoelen” were
eventually not greatly appreciated in Muslim/ Calvinist Java/Batavia. These high points in ebony furniture making were made by Hindu craftsmen in South India converted to Roman Catholicism by the Portuguese in the 16th and 17th centuries. They combined Hindu and Christian motives in a manner not seen again in furniture from India after the 17th century. As in other known examples, the carving is in the round. The carvings on these two chairs bear a close resemblance to the carving of the head- and foot-boards of the ebony rocking cradle in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam (inv. no. BK-1966-48, illustrated in Asia in Amsterdam, 2015, cat. 26, p.108).
No other group of Indo-European furniture has been as misunderstood as carved ebony furniture made in India, Sri Lanka and the former Dutch East Indies in the second half of the seventeenth century. The furniture itself is of solid ebony, pierced or carved in various degrees of relief, with twist-turned components. Among the forms made were large suites of chairs and settees; and, less commonly, tables, cradles, beds, cabinets and boxes. The production of solid ebony furniture of this type seems to have first began along the Coromandel coast, a textile-producing region settled with European trading factories. Dutch traveller Georg Rumphius (1627-1702)
recorded that the coast ‘is exceptionally richly provided of this ebony as the natives make from it all kinds of curious work, as chairs, benches and small tables, carving them out with foliage, and sculpture’.
Carved ebony chairs of this type have been recorded in English collections from as early as the mid-eighteenth century, and much of the confusion about their origin is due to the belief, current in the second half of the eighteenth and most of the nineteenth century, that they were surviving examples of early English furniture. This idea was supported by the rigid, rectilinear forms of the furniture, which looked antiquated to eighteenth-century eyes; the use of twist-turning, which was believed to be typical of Elizabethan furniture; the bizarre, intricate carving, which often included mythic beasts and figures that seemed to have been conceived before the vocabulary of classical ornament began to influence English design; and the colour, black, which was commonly associated with furniture of great antiquity. For Horace Walpole (1717-97), who appears to have been responsible for this attribution, notions about the age of such furniture based on its physical attributes were confirmed by the existence of examples in houses with Tudor associations. In 1748 he saw carved ebony chairs at Esher Place, Surrey, and believed them
to be the property of Cardinal Wolsey, who had lived there after 1519. Buying chiefly at auction, Walpole acquired pieces of carved ebony furniture for his Gothic Revival house, Strawberry Hill. By 1759 he had furnished what was to become the Holbein Chamber with ‘chairs & dressing table’ of ‘real carved ebony’. The decoration of Strawberry Hill was widely publicised, both by the numerous visitors to the house and through well-circulated published descriptions (1774; 1784).
By the early 19th century, Walpole’s view that carved ebony furniture of this type was both English and of early date had become firmly established. In his drawings of ‘Ancient Furniture’ (1834), A.W.N. Pugin featured a carved ebony chair of the type at Strawberry Hill depicted beneath a portrait of Henry VIII. In Specimens of Ancient Furniture (published monthly from 1832 to 1836 and then in a single volume in 1836), Henry Shaw included a carved ebony chair of the same type formerly in Walpole’s collection. Works such as these, which were used by antiquaries as reference texts, established the significance of carved ebony in houses with Gothic and Tudor-style interiors, whether old or newly created.
Source: Amin Jaffer, Luxury Goods From India: the art of the Indian Cabinet- Maker, London, V&A, 2002, pp. 46-47
41. A drawing of ‘Eine Indianische Taube’
India or Germany, 18th century
Annotated Columba Indica dicta Eine Indianische Taube
Watercolour on paper, H. 29.5 x W. 35 cm
Provenance: Private collection, Germany
Indonesian Archipelago
42.
The chest of Governor-General Dirk van Cloon (1684-1735) of the former Dutch East Indies, the first Indo-Dutch ruler of Indonesia
Probably Batavia (Jakarta), circa 1720-1730
H. 63 W. 155 x D. 68 cm (excl. bun feet)
The initials DVC on the lavish lock-plate almost certainly represent Dirk van Cloon (1684-1735). Dirk van Cloon, son of Philip Jacob van Cloon and an unknown mother, was sent to the Netherlands to study Law in Leiden like many sons of Dutchmen in Asia. After his studies, he returned and was sent, as Opperhoofd (chief merchant), to Sadraspatnam on the Coromandel Coast, India. He soon came into conflict with the governor of the Coromandel Coast, Adriaan de Visser, who was criticised for the low quality of the textiles he had sent to Batavia. De Visser blamed Dirk van Cloon and sent him back to Batavia, where the High Government accepted De Visser’s accusations. In 1717 they sent Van Cloon back to Holland ”buyten dienst en gagie”, without rank or payment. In Amsterdam, Van Cloon convinced the Heren XVII that De Visser himself was the problem. He was sent back to Batavia and the Coromandel Coast to replace Adriaan de Visser in 1723, who in his turn was sent back to Holland ”buyten dienst en gagie”. In 1727, Van Cloon was recalled to Batavia, where he became a member of the High Government and, in 1732, even reached the highest position: Governor General. Dirk van Cloon was the first man of mixed Indonesian-Dutch descent to attain that position. He succeeded Diederik Durven, who, accused of corruption, was also sent back to Holland ”buyten dienst en gagie”. Being sent back home this way wasn’t unusual at all! For the exuberant inlaid marriage cabinet of Diederick Durven and his wife Anna Catharina de Roo, previously sold by us, see: Uit Verre Streken, December 2020, no. 28.
Ironically, Governor-General Durven literally, but unintentionally, dug the grave of his successor Van Cloon. He decreed that a canal and fish ponds had to be dug on the coast of Batavia, which soon became breeding grounds for malaria midges. A few months after becoming Governor-General in 1732, Van Cloon caught malaria fever, of which he died in 1735.
43.
A Dutch colonial ebony cabinet with brass mounts
Batavia (Jakarta), 2nd half 17th century
The cabinet has two massive ebony doors opening to reveal thirteen various-sized drawers. When closed, the doors show two small snakes turned away from each other in the upper center.
H. 80.5 x W. 91.2 x D. 54.3 cm
Provenance:
With Francesca Galloway, London
The Edith & Stuart Cary Welsh Collection
44.
A Dutch-colonial Indonesian Sono keeling and padouk miniature chair
Batavia (Jakarta), early 18th century
H. 79.4 x W. 41.6 x D. 36 cm
H. 31.4 cm (seat height)
This high-back miniature chair, after the Anglo-Dutch Queen Anne style chair with a vase-shaped central splat and ball and claw feet, became popular in Holland during the first quarter of the 18th century. Chinese chairs imported into England around 1700 may have been examples for the development of the Queen Anne style chairs. The central splat carried through to the seat in the present chair is typically Chinese and so probably are the cleaved hoof feet. This suggest that this miniature chair was made by a Chinese furniture maker in Batavia in the early 18th century.
45.
A portrait of Sultan Hamengkubuwana VIII of Yogyakarta (1880-1939)
Yogyakarta, circa 1925-1928
Oil on canvas, H. 103.5 x W. 86 cm
Provenance: Private collection, Indonesia
Sultan Hamengkubuwana VIII (March 3, 1880 – October 22, 1939), born as Gusti Raden Mas Sujadi) was a ruler of the Yogyakarta Sultanate. He was inaugurated as the Sultanon February 8, 1921 and ruled until his death in 1939. During Hamengkubuwana VIII’s reign, the Yogyakarta Sultanate used substantial funds for various activities, including financing the sultanate’s schools. Many of Hamengkubuwana VIII’s sons were well-educated, with many studying in the Netherlands. Among them was Gusti Raden Mas Dorojatun, who would later ascend the throne as Hamengkubuwana IX, who attended Leiden University.
During his reign, he oversaw the extensive renovation of the Yogyakarta Palace complex buildings. Notable among these is the Bangsal Pagelaran located at the very front (directly south of the northern Alun-alun of Yogyakarta). Other renovated buildings include the tratag Siti Hinggil, the Donopratopo Gate, and the Great Mosque.
The sultan died on October 22, 1939, presumably on a train in the Wates area, Kulon Progo, while returning from Batavia (Jakarta) to pick up Gusti Raden Mas Dorojatun who just returned from the Netherlands. Other sources state that he passed away at the Onder de Bogen hospital (now Panti Rapih Hospital) after falling ill on the train in the Kroya area. Gusti Raden Mas Dorojatun, who had not yet finished his studies, was suddenly called home. In Batavia, the Sultan handed over the Kyai Ageng Joko Piturun keris to Gusti Raden Mas Dorojatun as a symbol of royal succession, indicating that Gusti Raden Mas Dorojatun would be the next Sultan.
46.
A superb Indonesian pair of royal Loro Blonyo wedding effigies
Java, Solo (Surakarta), circa 1890-1910
These figures are crafted from solid teak wood and hand-painted with natural polychrome pigments. The use of red cinnabar imported from China and gold leaf (available only to high-ranking nobles) signifies their noble origin. In the form of Mas Sadono, the male, seated cross-legged, wearing a red hip wrap with gold floral designs, a gold belt with a solid buckle, and a black conical headdress. His serene expression and Javanese aesthetic reflect traditional ideals of male beauty. The female, Dewi Sri, sits with her feet tucked beneath her, adorned with a similar hip wrap, a blue breast wrap, and delicate accessories including a kalung sungsun necklace and a gold comb. Her features embody Javanese ideals of femininity, with a high forehead and a gentle, downward gaze.
H. 63 cm (male)
H. 55 cm (female)
Provenance:
Noble collection, Surakarta (decommissioned and sold in the 1950s)
Collection K.R.T. Hardjonagoro (1931-2008), Go Tik Swan, Surakarta
Private collection, Surakarta
Private collection, the Netherlands
This exceptional pair of wedding effigies, known as Loro Blonyo, represents one of the highest forms of Central Javanese sculpture. They depict the idealized forms of a newlywed couple: Mas Sadono, an incarnation of the Hindu god Batara Wisnu, symbolizing nobility and kingship, and Dewi Sri, the beloved goddess of rice, associated with fertility and prosperity. Dressed in splendid royal court attire, these figures embody the elegance and cultural heritage of Central Java’s noble classes. The quality and style affirms they were commissioned by a noble family connected to either the royal families of Kraton Surakarta or Puro Mangkunegaran around the turn of the 20th century.
According to tradition, the use of Loro Blonyo effigies dates back to the reign of Sultan Agung Hanyokrosumo (1593–1645) of the Mataram Dynasty. These figures were placed on an altar within the Senthong Tengah—a sacred area in traditional palaces used for wedding ceremonies and rituals. The figures received offerings and prayers, symbolizing blessings for fertility and harmony within the marriage.
Only few other pairs of comparable quality are known, of which one can be found in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinborough (inv. no. A.1991.65). Three other pairs are in the collection of the Ethnographic Museum in Kraków (inv. no. 61771/2), the Museum voor Volkenkunde in Leiden (inv.no. 7082-S-450-1/2) and the Art Gallery of South Australia (inv.no. 20084S16A/B). However, none of the pairs surpass the quality of the present couple.
47. Ernst Agerbeek (1903-1945)
”Peranakan altar in Batavia” (1927)
Signed and dated 1927 lower left In original artist’s frame. Oil on canvas, H. 100 x W. 80 cm
Provenance:
Bought from the artist by Julius Ernst Michael (1880-1934), a friend of the artist; thence by descent to his grandson
Only little is known about the half-Dutch/half-Indonesian painter Ernst Agerbeek, regarded as one of the more important painters in the former Dutch East Indies. The artist is best known for his genre paintings of the Chinese population in Indonesia or the Peranakan community.
48. Ernst Agerbeek (1903-1945)
Peranakan interior, Batavia (circa 1927)
Signed lower right Oil on canvas, H. 90 x W. 64.5 cm
The only information on the artist is based on his oeuvre and primary sources such as birth registration and immigration. Agerbeek was born in the Netherlands and was trained as an artist in Brussels. In the early 1920s, he went to Indonesia, where he became a drawing teacher in a secondary school and a member of the Vereeniging van Beeldende Kunstenaars in Batavia. During the Japanese occupation during World War II, Agerbeek escaped imprisonment in a Japanese concentration camp for he was half Indonesian. However, in 1945, disaster struck. At 42, Agerbeek was executed by the Japanese after the accusation of being part of the resistance. So far, only about twenty Indonesian paintings by his hand are known.
49.
A Nias nobleman’s gold alloy ‘nifato-fato’ necklace
Indonesia, North Sumatra, Nias, 19th-20th century
A crescent-shaped gold necklace hammered into folded ridges, the end fastened by interlocking hooks.
Diam. approx. 34 cm
Provenance: Collection Rinck Hollnberger, Munich
The nifato-fato is central to the ceremonial costume of the Ono Niha people and worn by men of high status in North and Central Nias. In South Nias, they were known as kalambagi and were also worn by aristocratic women. The crescent-shape and the full circle evoke phases of the moon, and thus renewal.
For a comparable piece, see: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, acc. no. 2000.160.21.
A pair of Dayak carved male and female Orangutang skulls (Pongo pygmaeus)
Borneo, late 19th/early 20th century
Provenance:
Collection of a Mission house, Southern Netherlands (by repute); Collection Jo DeBuc, Belgium; Private collection, Belgium
The Dayak carve animal skulls, especially wild boar, deer, and buffalo, to symbolize and convey their affinity with nature. Hunting was formerly sacred and a means of survival. Respectful and ritualistic hunting of animals, seen as spiritual symbols, preserved human-nature harmony. The animal’s skull was cleaned and carved with intricate themes and patterns to symbolize protection, strength, and life after being hunted.
Dayak societies use carved skulls for several purposes. They are displayed in Dayak longhouses to honor the hunter’s bravery and ability. Skulls are thought to fend off evil and bring prosperity to the home. Some carved skulls are used in rituals to honor animal spirits and bless the community. These skulls connect the physical and spiritual worlds for the Dayak, promoting balance and honoring life and death.
Carving is sacred, executed by trained artisans who have passed down the knowledge. Geometric patterns, stylized creatures, and nature-inspired motifs are common. The Dayak people are connected to their ancestors and the environment via each engraving, which weaves the hunter’s story with the animal’s spiritual force.
Oceania
51.
Three Papua ‘Gope’ spirit boards
New Guinea, Papua Gulf, late 19th–early 20th century
H. 147 x W. 40 cm
H. 114 x W. 27 cm
H. 130 x W. 24.5 cm
Provenance:
- Collected by German biologist and cinematographer Thomas Schulze-Westrum in the 1960s - Collection Rinck-Hollnberger, Munich (purchased the 1980s-1990s)
In the late 1960s, German biologist and cinematographer Thomas Schultze-Westrum retraced the paths of early expeditions in the Gulf of Papua, including those of Frank Hurley in the 1920s and American writer John W. Vandercook in 1936. Throughout his visit, he saw the neglect of beliefs and customs in the region, remarking that the majority of worship artefacts had been incinerated, obliterated, interred, concealed in the forest or houses, and subjected to vermin and termites. Worried about safeguarding an endangered history, Schultze-Westrum amassed several artworks and meticulously recorded them to retain any fragments of knowledge remaining accessible among the populace at that time. Numerous significant pieces obtained during this period subsequently became integral to many private and museum collections worldwide.
An ancient Papua wooden substitute head or kus
Papua New Guinea, 18th-19th
L. 22.5 x W. 18 cm
Provenance:
- Collected by Thomas Schulze Westrum in the 1960s
- Collection Rinck Hollnberger, Munich (purchased in the 1980s
For a comparable skull in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, see: access.no. 1979.206.1580.
The heads of humans and of animals such as crocodiles and pigs formerly played integral roles in the ceremonial life of Papuan Gulf peoples, who considered the heads to be vessels of life-giving supernatural power. Within men’s ceremonial houses, human skulls were displayed, together with sa cred images such as spirit boards or gope, by the members of each clan in a specially constructed clan shrine. However, not all heads required the death of an enemy. In some areas, heads made from wood or other mate rials appear to have had powers equal to actual ones. In contrast to skulls, the facial features of wood heads were sometimes depicted as they appeared in life.
This example comes from the Wapo Creek area, where wood heads appear to have been used interchangeably with actual skulls. When headhunting was abolished by Australian colonial authorities in the early 1900s, Wapo Creek peoples were encouraged to substitute animal skulls. However, they refused, preferring instead to use wood heads like this one.
53. A pair of monkey skull amulets
Probably Papua New Guinea, or Borneo, Dayak, late 19th/early 20th century
H. approx. 12 cm (incl. stand, each)
Provenance: Private collection, Flanders
54.
A Sepik ‘panggal’ sago spathe or tree bark painting of an ancestral figure
East-Sepik Province, Keram River, early 20th century
The painting in non-binded pigment on sago spathe, bark of a sago palm, depicts an ancestral figure surrounded by a saw fish, two masks and several floral and seed motives.
H. 139 x W. 111 cm
Provenance:
Collected by missionary Georg Hölker between 1934 and 1938, for the collection of The Divine World Missionaries, Steyl.
55.
A Huli wigman’s ceremonial headdress
Papua New Guinea, Central Highlands, Huli people, 1st half 20th Century
Crafted from the wearer’s own hair and adorned with colorful bird-of-paradise feathers, flowers, scarab beetles, shells, and natural pigments
W. 85 x H. 65 x D. 33 cm
Provenance:
Collection François Coppens, Belgium
Cecile Kerner, Belgium
Private collection, Flanders
56.
An extremely rare Kiribati warrior’s armour
Central Pacific Ocean, Micronesia, Kiribati (Gilbert Islands), 19th century or earlier
This Kiribati warrior armour comprises a te otanga cuirass, a superb bwai ni buoka helmet crafted from dried pufferfish skin, a trident sword and a dagger. Such combat armour is symbolic of Kiribati’s island culture, with each component meticulously constructed from local natural materials. The helmet is a remarkable example of traditional craftsmanship, providing protection and intimidation in battle. Shark teeth and coconut fibres are skillfully integrated into the armour, reflecting the resourcefulness and artistry of Kiribati warriors. The front of the cuirass bears the remnants of an old collection label.
H. 73.5 cm (armour) H.126 cm (trident sword)
Provenance:
Collection Jean Roudillon (1924-2020), a legendary French expert in the tribal arts from Africa, Oceania and the Americas
The armour was generally used when individuals or groups engaged in land disputes or claimed retribution. The Kiribati approach to war was refreshingly different from that of most peoples. The Kiribati people were used to living with limited resources, thus, waste was unacceptable. Ending a person’s life was considered a waste of a valuable resource. As a result, the purpose of a Kiribati warrior’s fight was not to kill but rather to wound. If one killed someone on the opposite side, one had to provide some payment. Often, this meant a gift of land - the very thing the battles were about in the first place.
Kiribati has remained relatively isolated for a long period in time. Chance visits by European ships occurred in the 17th and 18th centuries, mainly due to vessels attempting circumnavigations of the world or seeking sailing routes from the south to the north Pacific Ocean. Only in the 19th century did more foreigners settle on the islands. In 1886, an Anglo-German agreement partitioned the “unclaimed” central Pacific, leaving Nauru in the German sphere of influence, while Ocean Island and the future Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony wound up in the British sphere of influence.
57. Albert Dequene (1897-1973)
‘Palouna au reva-reva’
Signed and dated Tahiti 9.33 lower left Pastels on paper, H. 57 x W. 48 cm
Provenance: Private collection, France
The name of the portrayed girl is probably Palouna, and the title translates to ‘Palouna in the soft clouds’.
Hawaiian feather art, or hulu manu, is an ancient and revered craft used to create items like cloaks (ʻahu ʻula), helmets (mahiole), and feather leis These items were symbols of high rank and were often worn by Hawaiian royalty, known as aliʻi. The featherwork was intricate and required thousands of feathers, collected carefully to avoid harming the birds. Cloaks and helmets were worn in ceremonies, battles, and other important events, showcasing both artistry and status.
The vibrant yellow feathers used in this art were primarily sourced from the ʻōʻō (now extinct) and the mamo (Hawaiian honeycreepers). Red feathers came from the ʻiʻiwi, a red Hawaiian honeycreeper, and sometimes the ʻ apapane, another native red bird. These feathers were precious due to the rarity and sacredness of the birds, as well as the labor involved in gathering them. Featherwork is still celebrated in Hawaii today as a symbol of cultural pride and a connection to ancestral heritage.
58.
A Hawaiian royal feather head band
Kingdom of Hawaii, 19th century
H. 32 cm
Provenance: - Museum of Ethnology, Hamburg - Private collection, Hamburg - Collection Rinck Hollnberger, Munich (purchased from the above in the 1980s)
59.
A Maori ‘patu parāoa’ whale bone club
Aotearoa (New Zealand), probably Waikato, 19th century or later
L. approx. 44 cm
Provenance:
By repute from a German Museum Collection Collection Rinck Hollnberger (acquired from the above in the 1980s)
These clubs are revered for their symbolism and craftsmanship, as well as its utilitarian usage. The term “patu” connotes striking weapons, whereas “parāoa” refers to whale bone. Māori clubs are known for their flat, broad blades and are made from whale lower jawbone, valued for its strength and longevity.
In close combat the clubs were gripped in one hand for powerful, precise strikes on the opponent's head or body. Due to their solid construction, they could inflict devastating blows. In addition to serving as weapons, they were often carved with complex carvings expressing tribal identity, history, and spiritual beliefs. Some were embellished with feathers or other symbols of distinction. Patu parāoa, made of rare whale bone, were prized by high-ranking chiefs and warriors. They represented mana (authority, power) and whakapapa (ancestry), making them cherished relics.
Side A
Side B
60.
A Solomon Islands red feather money coil or ‘Tevau’
Santa Cruz, Nendö, 19th century
Retaining an original wrapping leaf L. 830 cm (fully unrolled)
Provenance:
Collection Rinck-Hollnberger, Munich (purchased in the 1970s)
Among Oceania’s most unique currencies are tevau, feather money coils from the Santa Cruz Islands in Temotu Province at the eastern end of the Solomon Islands chain. Originally made on Ndende (Nendö), tevau were traded through the Reef and Duff Islands to the north.
Coils are created from scarlet honeyeater (Myzomela cardinalis) feathers, known as mungau. Red feathers, considered mystical and spiritual, are valued exchange items around the Pacific. Three specialists make tevau. One man caught and feathered the birds. Another would attach
crimson feathers to larger pigeon feathers with tree gum to make little plates. A third specialist would attach the plates to a bark coil-supported woven base. Evau-making expertise was closely guarded in particular families. Legend has it that forest spirits taught humans the knowledge and cautioned them that sharing it would cost them their luck.
The worth depends on its red feather size and quality. A tevau this large would have taken hundreds of hours to produce and include 300 or more bird feathers. As feathers faded, coils lost value, therefore vital, red, and new coils were most valuable. A turtle shell charm inside this coil boosts its worth. The coil’s start, end, and centre have coix seed stings and little shells, indicating its manufacturing time and labour. When tevau was wrapped in leaves and hanged from home rafters, fire smoke kept insects away and wooden charms kept evil spirits away.
Tevau could be used to buy canoes and pigs, which are essential to Pacific village economies. Tevau also helped the bride’s family receive bridal wealth for her loss as a mother and crop planter. Tevau was also used to settle disputes, present ancestor spirits, and pay Reef Island courtesans who lived in the men’s residence.
For a comparable piece in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Fine Art, see access. no. 2010.326.
China & Japan
61.
Two Chinese export ‘famille verte’ porcelain armorial dish with the coats-of-arms of Groningen and of Flanders
Kangxi period, circa 17001710
Diam. 38.4 cm (each)
Three styles of these so-called provincieborden or ‘province’ dishes were ordered by the Dutch in China between circa 1700 and 1720, each with the name and the coat-of-arms of a province or town in the Netherlands, England, France or Austrian-ruled Belgium. The present dishes with the coatof-arms of the city of Groningen and of Flanders belong to the earliest decoration style.
62.
A pair of large Chinese export porcelain dishes with the Valckenier coat-of-arms
Qianlong period, circa 1735
Diam. 44 cm (each)
Provenance:
Private collection, Portugal
Literature:
Jochem Kroes, Chinese Armorial Porcelain for the Dutch Market, Waanders Publishers, Zwolle, 2007, pp. 134-135
These particular dishes were probably part of a dinner-service that was ordered around 1735 by Adriaan Valckenier (1695-1751), Governor-General of the Dutch East India Company in Batavia (Jakarta). The service consisted of plates, salt cellars, ewers and dishes like the ones present. The plates and dishes vary in eight different sizes, from 44 to 22.5 cm. Amongst others, a salt cellar and a dish can be found in the collection of the Rijksmuseum (inv.no. AK-NM-13379 and AK-NM-13497).
Only five years after this dinner service was ordered, in October 1740, a drama took place in Batavia during Adriaan Valckeniers reign. In response to the uprising of the Chinese against the VOC, European citizens carried out a huge massacre. ’The streets were filled with corpses, the rivers flowing with blood.’
Source: Leonard Blusse, De Kolonisatie van Batavia en het Bloedbad van 1740: de Chinezen Moord, Uitgeverij Balans, 2023, pp. 247
63.
A Chinese export painting of a Canton tea-warehouse
Canton, late 18th century
Gouache on paper, H. 30.5 x W. 26 cm
A view inside a Canton tea warehouse with two British merchants, one tasting tea, the other at a table with a Chinese ‘hong’ merchant signing contracts, and Chinese workers trampling the tea into chests, packing, weighing on tripod scales, marking, and boarding tea chests into a sampan to be taken to an East Indiaman anchored at Whampoa, for export to the West. Huge fortunes were made on both sides as Western demand for tea increased throughout the 18th and19th centuries. Western merchants and shippers ordered and bought paintings like the present one as souvenirs of their lucrative trade in China.
64.
An exceptional Japanese Namban lacquer writing-box, with a single drawer
Kyoto, late Momoyama to Edo period, circa 15901630
H. 25 x W. 50 x D. 34 cm
The form is the same as the writing boxes made and used by the Portuguese in Portugal, Madeira and the Portuguese East, with the upper part under a lid and a drawer underneath. This box is quite similar to one in the Royal Collection of His Majesty King Charles III (inv. RCIN 39244).
65.
A Japanese rootwood sculpture of Gama Sennin
Edo period, 18th century
H. 11 x W. 15 cm
Sennin’s are ascetics living as hermits in the mountains, ascribed with magic powers. This Sennin is sitting between rocks on a huge grim-looking toad, with three more smaller toads. He is wearing his characteristic coat of leaves, and on his left shoulder his permanent companion, the three-legged toad, coming out of a gourd hanging on the old man’s back.
Toads have since long held a special place in Japanese folklore and mythology. In Japanese culture, the toad, known as gama, is regarded as a mythical creature associated with good fortune, longevity and the protection against evil spirits. The toad is also believed to possess transformative powers, symbolizing rebirth and renewal. No wonder Sennin Gama would want to be associated with toads, although he doesn’t necessarily look like it.
66.
A small Japanese export lacquer circular box with a depiction of the Amsterdam Muiderpoort
Nagasaki, Edo period, 1st half 19th century
Of circular form decorated in gold hiramaki-e on a black-lacquered ground, the lid depicts the Muiderpoort, a city gate of Amsterdam, after an engraving by Carel Frederik Bendorp (1736-1814) made after an original work by van Jan Bulthuis (1750-1801).
Diam. 8 cm
Provenance:
Kollenburg Antiquairs, Oirschot Collection Pauw van Pauwvliet
67.
A pair of Japanese painted and lacquered wood candlesticks in the form of oni
Edo period, 1st half 19th century
Each standing atop a flat rectangular base incised with scrolling vines, wearing short robes with cloud designs at the back as well as leaf-skirts. The one-horned oni further wearing a scaly undergarment covering the stomach, upper arms, and thighs, holding a baku coiled around his body, and with the mouth wide open revealing tongue and teeth. The two-horned oni with his bone-inlaid fangs is tearing a hole in its belly with both hands. Both show fierce expressions, their heads surmounted by a rising cloud base to hold the candle, one with a circular bone-inlaid fitting.
H. 37.5 & 38 cm
Provenance: Noble collection, Germany; thence by descent
68.
A Japanese painting depicting two European generals
Nagasaki, 19th century
H. 98 x W. 41 cm
Provenance: Private collection, Portugal
69.
A Japanese scroll painting depicting Nagasaki Bay by Tamaki Kabutei (1807-1879)
Late Edo/early Meiji period, circa 1870, ante dated 1715
Painting on silk, H. 38.5 x W. 75.7 cm
For generations, the Tamaki family members were writers for Tosen Kakejuku-cho, a task responsible for administrating business affairs related to Chinese trade ships entering and leaving Nagasaki harbour. Tamaki Kabutei, whose common name was Kanpei, was especially good at painting in oil in the European style. He became an art teacher at the Nagasaki Normal School in the early Meiji period after the opening of Japan to the outside world.
The present painting, one of only two by Kanpei known outside Japan, was painted in 1870 and possibly was in the collection of British historian on Portuguese and Dutch colonialism, Charles Ralph Boxer (19042000).
70.
An oval Japanese export lacquer tray decorated with the alliance of the coats-of-arms of the Mooyaart and Pauw families
Edo-period, circa 1798
L. 51.5 x B. 37.5 x H.3.2 cm
This tray most likely was made on the occasion of the marriage in 1798 in Delft of Mr. Anthony Noel Mooyaart (Jaffnapatnam 1777 - Batavia 1820), secretary-general of the ’Indische Marine’, son of Gualtherus Mooyaart, Governor of Jaffnapatam, and Anna Petronella Maria Pauw (Delft 1777 - The Hague 1858), daughter of Engelbert Imansz Pauw, bailiff and burgomaster of Delft. The tray might well have been ordered as a gift by the groom’s father, who probably had close connections with colleagues in Batavia and Deshima.
71.
A Japanese blue-and-white porcelain with the initials of Iohannes Camphuys and an idem undecorated bottle
Arita, late 17th/early 18th century
H. 20.5 & 30 cm
Johannes Camphuys (Haarlem 1635 - Batavia 1695) was Opperhoofd in Deshima, Japan, in 1671-1673, in 1673-1674 and again in 1675-1676 where he probably used the bottle for wine or sake at his table in the Opperhoofd’s house on Deshima island.
Few of these blank Japanese bottles survived, either because they were intensively used in the kitchens on Deshima island or on board of ships or, when they arrived safely in Holland, they were sometimes over-painted, mainly in Delft, with European or Chinoiserie scenes.
72.
A Japanese Arita blue-and-white porcelain bottle with the initials RW
Arita, late 17th century
H. 24.1 cm
Bottles like this one exist in various sizes and sometimes bear initials of known or (yet) unknown individuals. For instance J:C, standing for opperhoofd Johannes Camphuys (see: Uit Verre Streken, November 2015, no. 44) or I:V:H, Joan van Hoorn, Governor General, 17041709 (see: Uit Verre Streken, March 2020, no. 50), L:V:R, standing for Lambert van Riebeeck (see: Uit Verre Streken, October 2016, no. 65), or P.VD possibly standing for Pieter van Dijck, secunde in Japan in 1690 (see: Uit Verre Streken, November 2023, no. 84).
There is also an Imari bottle with the letters RW inside a simple circle and without the dots between the letters, possibly standing for Rheinland Wine (see: Uit Verre Streken, March 2023, no. 59). R:W, with the dots between the letters and inside a wreath are the initials of a person, in this case probably of Richard Woodward or Richardus Woodwart the younger, ondercoopman, negotieboeckhouder and secunde on Deshima, appointed by opperhoofd Hendrik Dijckman as temporary opperhoofd in Deshima on February 13, 1699, in Dijckman’s place, while he himself was on his way to Edo for his annual court visit.
73.
A superb Japanese export lacquer writing box
Kyoto, circa 1680
The writing box has bevelled edges and a kabusebuta (overhanging lid), and is completely covered in black lacquer in maki-e and decorated in gold, silver and red hiramaki-e and takamaki-e of superb quality. The lid is decorated with a scene of fishermen pulling onto the shore a net with their catch, in a landscape with a village. This box is part of a group of lacquerware with the highest quality decoration, comparable to The Deshima Cabinet from our collection.
H. 10 x W. 53.5 x D. 39.5 cm
Provenance: Lady Mary Marchioness of Devonshire and 1st Baroness Sandys of Ombersley (17641836); thence by descent
Literature:
A. Oswald, “Ombersley Court, Worcestershire - III”, in: Country Life, 16 January 1953, p. 153, pl. 4
74.
A Yokohama-e print depicting a Dutch ship by Utagawa Yoshitora (act. 1846-1880)
Late Edo period, circa 1859
Signed and dated 1859
Colour woodblock-print, H. 35.5 x W. 24 cm
The text of the present print reads:
Picture of a Dutch ship Dutch ships are made of good wood and are used in the art of navigation. They conquered the five oceans with their skill in navigation. The ships are solid build with iron nails and the gaps are filled with paint.
Thus, they leave Holland (Batavia?) in April and arrive at Nagasaki in June, sailing through the vast ocean against the stormy winds. When the ship arrives in port, it fires its cannons, the sound and smoke reaching the sky, and hoist its sails to anchor.
When leaving the port, it fires its cannons, sending the sound an smoke into the sky, and when many sails are raised, the sight of the ship is a sight to behold.
It is truly a marvelous sight to see them enter and leave the port, as if they are performing a divine act.
In the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, there are three Ukiyo-e woodblock prints from the same series by Yoshitora, depicting a Chinese ship (2007.49.209), an English ship (2007.49.210) and an American ship (2007.49.211), all three with a portrait of the captain in the top left hand corner, and an explanation written by Kanagaki Robun (1829-1894), a journalist from Edo, and all dated in different months in 1862.
Yoshitora was active from about 1846 till about 1880. In 1849 he produced a print the censors interpreted as criticism of the Shogunate and Yoshitora was manacled for fifty days and afterwards moved from Edo to Yokohama where he continued to produce illustrations prolifically, particularly of foreigners who arrived in Yokohama after Japan had been forced to open its ports to foreign trade in 1868.
75.
A rare Japanese scroll painting depicting a dissection scene by Dutch doctors
Edo period, early 19th century
Painted on silk, approx. H. 40 x 60 cm (the painting)
Provenance:
The scroll is accompanied by a note that it was a gift from the renowned Japanese surgeon Hanaoka Seishū to his disciple Iwata Hirozai; after which it ended up in a private collection.
This unique scroll shows a fictitious dissection scene featuring two Dutch doctors inspired by cadaver dissections of the time. Although showing Western influence, the internal anatomy of the female subject is illustrated in the traditional Chinese-Japanese medicinal style. The unknown artist of this scroll masterfully blends various cultural elements, including foreigners and Japanese traditions, beautiful women, life and death, and the pursuit of knowledge.
The only other known similar scene, depicting a Dutch doctor dissecting a Japanese female corpse, is known only from the collection of Dr. Eugen Holländer. This piece was published in the Deutsche medizinische Wochenschrift, No. 47, 1908; and Holländer’s book Äskulap und Venus: Eine Kultur- und Sittengeschichte im Spiegel des Arztes, Propyläen-Verlag, Berlin, 1928, p. 287. Dr. Holländer’s collection was stored at the Kaiserin Friedrich-Haus in Berlin but lost in 1945.
