W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp

‘The

Wandering Soul of Indonesia’

A Collection of Drawings, Paintings, and Ethnographic Artefacts from the Estate of the Artist

Guus Röell & Dickie Zebregs

Amsterdam & Maastricht, November 2024

W.O.J. NIEUWENKAMP

‘The Wandering Soul of Indonesia’

A Collection of Drawings, Paintings, and Ethnographic Artefacts from the Estate of the Artist

This year, Nieuwenkamp was born one hundred and fifty years ago, on 27 July 1874, in Amsterdam, where he grew up the first eight years of his life. His father owned a shipping company there, with ships sailing to the Mediterranean and Indonesia. Hearing the stories of the returning captains evoked in the young Nieuwenkamp an obsession for distant lands and adventure. In 1882, the family moved to Haarlem. After a failed school history and a failed attempt by his father to have his son make a career in his shipping business, Nieuwenkamp attended the Academy for Decorative Art in Amsterdam. However, within one year, he left to go his own way. He was an autodidact and a great experimenter with new techniques, particularly in the art of etching. Nieuwenkamp was a very focused man with the discipline of a scientist tempered by the sensitivity of an artist, a lust for adventure, a natural appreciation for ethnic arts and an enormous ambition to tread new paths. In 1898, he visited Indonesia, Java, for the first time. After a half-year visit, he returned home and realised the tremendous opportunities he would have as an artist in Indonesia.

Sixteen years old, in the summer of 1890, Nieuwenkamp met his cousin, Anna Wilbrink, and for years, they exchanged numerous letters in which their romance blossomed. In 1890, against the will of their parents and parents-in-law, Nieuwenkamp and Anna finally married in a simple ceremony.

Nieuwenkamp decided to build a ship as their home and his atelier. This nicely combined his youthful obsession with boats and his growing reputation as a wandering artist. In 1901, their ship De Zwerver (The Wanderer) was launched, becoming the first Dutch houseboat. In the next few years, he, his wife, and their newly-born daughter travelled on the boat to various cities in Holland, Belgium, and Germany, staging wellpublished, board-selling exhibitions of his work. In time, a son and two more daughters joined the family. The interior of De Zwerver was sober but eclectic, combining old Dutch elements with many ethnographic objects collected later in Indonesia. A visit to the boat and the exhibitions became a must for art lovers wherever the ship docked.

In the meantime, Nieuwenkamp prepared for his second visit in 1903-1904, now to Bali and Lombok. Her parents didn’t allow Anna to join Wijnand on his voyages, but the numerous letters they wrote to each other cemented their marriage. Nieuwenkamp was the first foreign artist to fall passionately in love with Bali and the Balinese. Having secured agreements with several museums in the Netherlands to obtain Balinese art and artefacts for their collections, Nieuwenkamp immediately started to purchase and order a wide range of ethnographic art and objects from local artists and artisans. Through his meticulous drawings and prints and his many books, he gave an excellent impression of Indonesian, particularly Balinese art and culture, which at that time was completely unknown and unappreciated in the Netherlands. Since 1854, North Bali has been under

Interior of De Zwerver

Dutch rule, but South Bali was still independent in 1904 when Nieuwenkamp visited it for the first time. Nieuwenkamp would be among the last Europeans to experience a glorious medieval society in its final days.

During his third visit to Indonesia and his second to Bali in 1906, the Dutch government decided to end the independence of South Bali, and Governor-General Van Heutz invited Nieuwenkamp to accompany the Dutch invasion force. By contemporary European standards, the Balinese were barbarous, pagan, and primitive. The Dutch considered the Balinese custom of widows throwing themselves in the flames of the funeral pyre of their deceased husbands particularly barbaric. Nieuwenkamp, however, was a singular man who saw in their society the beauty and soul that had been lost in his own.

On September 23, 1906, Denpasar, the capital of South Bali, fell to the Dutch military force. Official military briefings praised the victory, which was reported with nationalistic pride on the front pages of all Dutch newspapers. As Nieuwenkamp had witnessed, the truth was far from glorious. As if in a trance, the Balinese, men, women and children, dressed in their finest silks and jewellery and armed with their ancient, bejewelled keris, the Raja himself mounted atop a golden palanquin, rushed forward, the men killing their wives and children and the Dutch machinegun fire doing the rest. The once mighty and magnificent court of Denpasar was left in ashes, and as many as two thousand Balinese died, whereas the Dutch suffered four casualties. This mass suicide, also known as Puputan, is commemorated yearly in Bali but is still not represented well in Dutch history books and lessons.

Nieuwenkamp made drawings of the disaster and saved as many beautiful architectural elements and artefacts from the rubble as he could. Most of them are now in the Museum of World Cultures collection in Leiden and some are slowly being returned to Indonesia.

In 1914 Nieuwenkamp journeyed to Sri Lanka and British India. In 1917-1918, he made a voyage around the world through the Panama Canal to Indonesia, in 1925 the sixth journey to the East and in 1937, the last trip to Indonesia and Bali, always investigating hints and stories from every source imaginable and making sketches he later worked into finished drawings and prints for his books. Before photography, Nieuwenkamp’s work represents a lost world, offering an authentic view of Southeast Asia’s places, peoples, buildings, arts and crafts. Nieuwenkamp usually made sketches in situ. He later worked these in finished watercolours, prints, lithographs and, after 1920, a few times in oil paintings.

On the 22nd of April 1950, Nieuwenkamp passed away in Riposo dei Vescovi, Italy.

First voyage to Java, 1898.

A Buginese Sailing Prahu in Semarang 1898

Signed, dated, and annotated upper right Pen, brush and ink on cardboard, H. 11.4 x W. 26.3 cm

While visiting family in Semarang, Nieuwenkamp spent much time exploring its harbour, where he documented several types of prahu. His love of Indonesian watercraft resulted in many drawings of vessels. Later, a woodblock print was made after this drawing.

Literature:

Cary Venselaar, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. Alles voor de Kunst, Volendam, 2019, p. 69 (ill.)

Bruce W. Carpenter, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. First European Artist in Bali, Abcoude, 1997, p. 32 (ill.)

Drawings from the first visit to Bali, 1904

House temple in Singaradja, 1904

Signed with initials upper centre

Annotated with location and dated indistinctly in pencil 11 oct. lower centre

Pencil, ink and watercolour on paper, laid down on thin cardboard, H. 18 x W. 18 cm

Literature:

Ernst Braches & J.F. Heijbroek, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. Bouwstoffen, toegepaste grafiek en illustraties, Amsterdam, 2016, p. 108, 263, 307 & 322 (ill.)

W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Zwerftochten op Bali, Edam, 1910, p. 80 (ill.)

W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Bali en Lombok, Edam, 1910, p. 30 (ill.)

W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Zwerftochten op Bali, Edam, 1922, p. 44 (ill.)

W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, ‘Schetsen van Bali en Lombok I, de woning der Baliërs’, in: Magazine Eigen Haard, 7 January 1905, p. 12-16 (ill.)

Statue of Vishnu Garuda, Bali 1904

Signed with initials lower centre

Pencil and ink on paper, H. 21.4 x W. 21.3 cm

Garuda is a legendary bird-like creature in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain mythology, often depicted as a powerful and majestic figure. In Hinduism, Garuda is the vahana (vehicle) of Lord Vishnu, symbolising speed, strength, and loyalty. The divine bird is also known for his role as the enemy of snakes (nagas), embodying

protection and courage. In various Southeast Asian cultures, Garuda is a revered symbol, representing royalty, protection, and divine power.

Literature: Bruce W. Carpenter, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. First European Artist in Bali, Abcoude, 1997, p. 157 (ill.)

Four Balinese, 1904

Signed and dated lower left

Pencil and ink on paper, H. 15.6 x W. 23 cm

This is an illustration of the costumes of Balinese of various standings. To the right is a farmer, and behind him, a more princely figure with his servant holding a parasol and chewing tobacco.

Literature:

W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Zwerftochten op Bali, Amsterdam, 1910, p. 36 (ill.)

Ernst Braches & J.F. Heijbroek, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. Bouwstoffen, toegepaste grafiek en illustraties, Amsterdam, 2016, p. 109 (ill.)

Batur Temple and Batur Mountain before the eruption, Bali 1904

Signed, dated, and titled lower left and with artist’s stamp verso Pen, brush and ink on cardboard, H. 16.7 x W. 21.8 cm

In the background, the ominous smoke rising from the caldron of Batur Mountain warns of the destruction to come. Batur temple, on the shores of the lake bearing the same name, was one of the most sacred and significant in Bali. It was the only place in the then-still independent Kingdoms of South Bali visited by the artist in 1904. In the next 15 years, a

series of lava flows spewed from the Batur volcano would destroy the temple and the village. On March 11, 1937, Nieuwenkamp drew Batur, buried under the volcano’s lava.

Literature:

Bruce W. Carpenter, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. First European Artist in Bali, Abcoude, 1997, cover and p. 46 (ill.)

Cary Venselaar, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. Alles voor de Kunst, Volendam, 2019, p. 178 & p. 789 (after the eruptions) (ill.)

Drawings from the second visit to Bali, 1906

‘De Oogst’ (the harvest) A big Banyan tree in Sawan, Bali, 1906

Signed and signed with initials lower right

Titled and dated Sawan, 9 aug. 1906 lower left

Pencil on paper, laid down on thin cardboard, H. 23 x W. 18.8 cm

Literature:

Ernst Braches & J.F. Heijbroek, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Bouwstoffen, toegepaste grafiek en illustraties, Amsterdam, 2016, p. 302 & 319 (ill.)

Ida Bagoes Raki, Bali 1906

Signed middle right, annotated at the lower and with artist’s stamp verso Pen, brush and ink on paper, H. 26.3 x W. 10.8 cm

Ida Bagoes Raki, here 22 years old as annotated, was a young brahmana seen here wearing his finest ceremonial cloth, including a splendid head cloth, saput, and a golden keris with an ivory hilt.

Literature: Bruce W. Carpenter, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. First European Artist in Bali, Abcoude, 1997, p. 65 (ill.) Ernst Braches & J.F. Heijbroek, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. Bouwstoffen, toegepaste grafiek en illustraties, Amsterdam, 2016, p. 127 (ill.)

Temple of Besakih, Karangasem, Bali (circa 1907)

Signed lower right

Pencil and watercolour on paper, laid down on thin cardboard, H. 19.8 x W. 25.5 cm

Literature:

Ernst Braches & J.F. Heijbroek, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. Bouwstoffen, toegepaste grafiek en illustraties, Amsterdam, 2016, p. 295, 314 & 336 (ill.)

Bruce W. Carpenter, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp - First European Artist in Bali, Abcoude, 1997, p. 167 (ill.)

W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Zwerftochten op Bali, Edam, 1910, p. 188 (ill.)

W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Bali en Lombok, Edam, 1910, p. 200 (ill.)

W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Zwerftochten op Bali, Edam, 1922, p. 206 (ill.)

W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Bouwkunst van Bali, The Hague, 1926, p. 8 (ill.)

Premises in North Bali, 1906

Signed with initials and titled bottom left and fully signed bottom right

Pencil and ink on paper.

H. 10.5 x W. 18 cm

Litterature: W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Zwerftochten op Bali, Amsterdam 1910, p. 38

Bruce W. Carpenter, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, First European Artist in Bali, Abcoude 1997, p. 173 (ill.)

Entrance to the temple at Blahbatu, Bali 1907

Signed lower centre, titled at the top, and with artist’s stamp at the verso Pen, brush and ink on cardboard, H. 14.8 x W. 19.4 cm

Guarded by two giant elephant statues, Blahbatu temple is famous for being the home of an ancient mask of Gadjah Mada, the brilliant general of the

Majapahit Empire who brought Bali under the control of this last great Javanese Hindu kingdom. In 1917, an earthquake destroyed the temple.

Literature:

Bruce W. Carpenter, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, First European Artist in Bali, Abcoude, 1997, p. 164 (ill.)

Cary Venselaar, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. Alles voor de Kunst, Volendam, 2019, p. 642 (ill.)

Barong, Ubud and Tabanan, Bali 1906

Signed and annotated centre right and with artist’s stamp verso Pen, brush and ink on cardboard, H. 16.3 x W. 24.3 cm

While wandering through South Bali in 1906, Nieuwenkamp met several types of barongs, including the mythological beast with his nemesis, the evil witch Rangda, which he drew in Tabanan. Above are the barong babi, pig, and barong hariman, tiger. Children usually take these around the village at the end of the GalunganKuningan festival.

Literature: Bruce W. Carpenter, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. First European Artist in Bali, Abcoude, 1997, p. 149 (ill.) Cary Venselaar, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. Alles voor de Kunst, Volendam, 2019, p. 268 (ill.)

Meru in Kesiman, Bali 1906

Signed lower centre and annotated lower left Pen, brush and ink on cardboard, H. 24.4 x W. 17.1 cm

The stately grandeur of the architecture of South Bali is seen in this eleven-layered meru pagoda belonging to the Raja of Kesim. On either side of the entrance are

four giant stone statues representing the holy mountain. On the 28th of September 1906, the Raja of Kesim and his son were captured by the Dutch. They committed suicide, choosing death over disgrace.

Literature:

Bruce W. Carpenter, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. First European Artist in Bali, Abcoude, 1997, p. 165 (ill.)

Cary Venselaar, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. Alles voor de Kunst, Volendam, 2019, p. 229 (ill.)

Wadah, North Bali 1906

Signed with initials upper right

With a pencil sketch annotated Boela (?), inscription depot Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and the artist’s stamp verso

Pen, brush and ink on paper laid down on cardboard, H. 20.4 x W. 16.8 cm

The wide-open mouth of the winged Bhoma, God of Earth, forms the foundation of this stunning Wadah, a

cremation tower in North Bali,decorated with Dutch flags. After the corpse has been cremated, the Wadah is also burned, stripped of its decorations, and the ashes thrown in the river or the sea.

Literature:

Ernst Braches & J.F. Heijbroek, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Bouwstoffen, toegepaste grafiek en illustraties, Amsterdam, 2016, p. 299 (ill.)

Bruce W. Carpenter, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. First European Artist in Bali, Abcoude, 1997, p. 139 (ill.)

Cary Venselaar, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. Alles voor de Kunst, Volendam, 2019, p. 324 (ill.)

Drawings from the Voyage to Sri Lanka and British India, 1913-1914

Signed with initials and dated lower left

Pencil on paper, H. 25.4 x W. 16.7 cm

Literature: Ernst Braches & J.F. Heijbroek, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Bouwstoffen, toegepaste grafiek en illustraties, Amsterdam, 2016, p. 214 (ill.)

Stone statue in the temple at Madurai, India, 1914

Signed with initials upper right

Pencil on paper, H. 21.2 x W. 16.7 cm

Literature: Ernst Braches & J.F. Heijbroek, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Bouwstoffen, toegepaste grafiek en illustraties, Amsterdam, 2016, p.

Stone statue in the temple at Madurai, India, 1914

Part of the ring wall of the Taj Mahal at Agra, India, 1914

Signed with initials and dated lower right

Black chalk on paper, H. 45.5 x W. 53 cm

Literature:

Ernst Braches & J.F. Heijbroek, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Bouwstoffen, toegepaste grafiek en illustraties, Amsterdam, 2016, p. 201 (ill.)

Drawings from the Voyage around the World, 1917-1918

Besakih Temple, Karagasem 1918

Signed with initials and dated lower left and annotated lower right Charcoal on paper, H. 26.4 x W. 32 cm

The great earthquake of January 21, 1917, destroyed the temple, which was restored with government funding.

Literature: Cary Venselaar, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. Alles voor de Kunst, Volendam, 2019, p. 490 (ill.)

Young boy at Loemboeng, Sumba, 1918

Signed with initials and dated lower right

Black chalk on paper, H. 25.7 x W. 10 cm

Literature:

W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Zwerftochten door Timor en Onderhoorigheden, Amsterdam, 1925, p. 138 (ill.)

Ernst Braches & J.F. Heijbroek, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. Bouwstoffen, toegepaste grafiek en illustraties, Amsterdam, 2016, p. 183 & 365 (ill.)

Double-sided drawing

Weltevreden, Kebon Sirih

Executed between Febuary 20 and March 2, 1918, Graphite pencil on paper, H. 46 x W. 58 cm (Approx.)

Vlucht voor de bui (Fleeing the rain)

Graphite pencil on paper, H. 33 x W. 56 cm (Approx.)

These are the original drawings, based on which the lithographs “Vlucht voor de bui” and “Weltevreden, Kebon Sirih” were made by Nieuwenkamp in March 1918. The lithographs were part of a series depicting Java, all of them made in 1918. Seven of these lithographs were exhibited in Batavia, March 28 – April 7 1918, at the Nederlands-Indische Kunstkring in Batavia (the lithographs of the present two drawings under the numbers 7 and 2).

In, E. Braches, and J.F. Heijbroek, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Bouwstoffen, Toegepast grafiek en illustraties, De Buitenkant 2016, one of the drawings is illustrated in colour

on p. 503 (pl. 2602) and both lithographs are illustated on p. 503 (pl. 2601) and on p. 504. (pl. 2605) Also in, A. Hallema, “W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp en zijn nieuwe prenten van Java”, in: Nederlands-Indië Oud en Nieuw, May 1920, p. 17-32, both lithographs are illustrated.

Provenance:

Private collection of the artist, 1918-1950; By descent to his daughter, 1950-1989 By descent to her son, since 1989; Acquired from Nieuwenkamp’s grandson at the studio of Nieuwenkamp, Villa Nieuwenkamp, San Domenico di Fiesole, Italy.

Sixth journey to the East

Houses in Matoer, Sumatra, 1925

Signed with initials and dated upper centre,

Pencil on paper, H. 34 x W. 28.8 cm

Three traditional rice barns, with a richly decorated adat house in the background, are all in the Minangkabau style. Throughout Indonesia, rice barns are symbols of wealth, always beautifully

decorated, as here, with roofs like the horns of the water buffalo, after which the Minangkabau people have named themselves.

Literature:

Ernst Braches & J.F. Heijbroek, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. Bouwstoffen, toegepaste grafiek en illustraties, Amsterdam, 2016, p. 244 (ill.)

Bruce W. Carpenter, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. First European Artist in Bali, Abcoude, 1997, p. 98 (ill.)

Entrance to the temple at Klungkung, Bali, 1925

Dated lower left and with studio seal at the reverse Black chalk on paper, H. 53 x W. 46.5 cm

Literature:

Ernst Braches & J.F. Heijbroek, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Bouwstoffen, toegepaste grafiek en illustraties, Amsterdam 2016, p. 228 & 385 (ill.)

Cary Venselaar, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. Alles voor de Kunst, Volendam, 2019, p. 629 (ill.)

Seventh and last journey to Indonesia, 1937

Wobbly bridge, Tabanan, Bali, 1937

Signed with initials lower right and dated lower left

Pencil and ink on paper, H. 22 x W. 26.3 cm

Literature: Cary Venselaar, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. Alles voor de Kunst, Volendam, 2019, p. 761 (ill.)

Forest near Den Pasar, 1937

Signed with initials, dated and titled lower middle and right, W.O.J.N., Den Pasar, 6-7-febr. 1937

Pencil, ink and black chalk on paper, H. 56.6 x W. 45.5 cm

Literature: Cary Venselaar, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. Alles voor de Kunst, Volendam, 2019, p. 759 (ill.)

Four outrigger proa’s on the beach of Kusambe,

Bali, 1937

Signed with initials and dated lower left

Pencil and ink on paper, H. 29.7 x W. 35 cm

Literature: Cary Venselaar, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. Alles voor de Kunst, Volendam, 2019, p. 786 (ill.)

Islamic graveyard with the Borobudur in the background, 1937

Signed with initials and dated lower left

Pencil and ink on paper, H. 33 x W. 29 cm

The Borobudur, the glory of the past, shimmers in the background against

the silhouette of the frangipani trees growing in the graveyard. Nieuwenkamp also made a drawing of the Borobudur during his first visit in 1898 before it was restored.

Literature: Bruce W. Carpenter, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. First European Artist in Bali, Abcoude, 1997, p. 135 (ill.)

Entrance to a house in Denpasar, Bali 1937

Signed, dated and titled lower left

Pencil and ink on paper, H. 19 x W. 26 cm

Literature:

Ernst Braches & J.F. Heijbroek, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Bouwstoffen, toegepaste grafiek en illustraties, Amsterdam, 2016, p. 387 (ill.)

Incoming rain, Den Pasar, Bali 1937

Signed with initials, dated and titled lower right Black chalk and ink on paper, H. 42 x W. 46 cm

A practical umbrella covering the head and back is made of flattened bamboo.

Literature: Ernst Braches & J.F. Heijbroek, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Bouwstoffen, toegepaste grafiek en illustraties, Amsterdam, 2016, p. 383 (ill.)

Ida Bagoes Ketoet Diding, an artist on Bali, 1937

Signed with initials and dated lower centre

Black chalk on paper, H. 29 x W. 31 cm

Diding, an artist from the village of Batuan, famous for its artists, passed away in 1990. He was one of the best artists of the early Batuan painting style.

Nieuwenkamp bought several of his paintings, possibly introduced by Bonnet, Diding’s main patron at the time.

Literature:

Bruce W. Carpenter, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. First European Artist in Bali, Abcoude, 1997, p. 160 (ill.)

Market under the Banyan tree near Sanur, 1937

Signed with initials and dated lower right

Pencil and ink on paper, H. 28 x W. 34.5 cm

Literature: Bruce W. Carpenter, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp. First European Artist in Bali, p. 138 (ill.)

Oil paintings

Rice barn in Singaradja and Bell tower in Bangli, central Bali

Apparently unsigned Oil on panel, H. 44 x W. 60 cm (each)

Both paintings are in teakwood frames typical for Nieuwenkamp’s paintings and were probably done in Italy after 1920, after earlier drawings.

The first is after a drawing done in 1904 of a ‘Rice Barn of a Wealthy Balinese Gusti’ in Singaraja, North Bali (Published in Carpenter, 1997, p. 51 and Braches & Heijbroek, 2016, p 373). The second, after a drawing of a ‘Bell tower in Bangli (a kulkul)’, also probably from 1904 (Published in Bali, the tropical wonderland, in: The Studio 95, 21 April 1928, p. 246, 249-251 and Braches & Heijbroek, 2016, p. 373).

The magnificent Balinese jineng, or rice barn, belonged to an important sculptor of the Gusti caste and one of Nieuwenkamp’s best friends on the island. At the base of the columns of the upper porch are two proud singa at the sides, the winged lions of the Balinese mythology, and in the center, the image of the rice goddess, Dewi Sri. Two beautiful carved doors are flanked by woven bamboo in a chequered pattern. Under the barn is a favourite place for women to weave in the shadow and for dogs, pigs and chickens to avoid the afternoon sun’s heat.

Before he moved to Italy in 1920, Nieuwenkamp didn’t make any oil paintings, partly because he made several prints, woodcuts and drawings, wanting

to keep a copy of everything he made, and that was not easy with oil paintings. When a collector during one of his exhibitions on ‘De Zwerver’ had bought all his drawings, he was so upset that he, from then on, only sold prints or drawings he had made copies of. He also felt he should be an excellent draughtsman before he dared to work in oil paint. Only after he had moved to Italy did he feel confident enough to work in oil paint; nevertheless, much of his paintings were destroyed because he was not satisfied with the result, and, as far as is known, he hardly ever signed his oil paintings.

Fruit carriers, Bali 1927

Both signed and titled in pencil on the reverse

Oil on board, H. 26 x W. 19.5 cm (each)

Both paintings were probably done in Italy in circa 1927, after drawings made in Bali in 1922.

Literature: J.F.K. Kits Nieuwenkamp, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp (1874-1950) gezien door tijdgenoten, Amersfoort 1997, p. 94 (ill.)

Ernst Braches & J.F. Heijbroek, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Bouwstoffen, toegepaste grafiek en illustraties, Amsterdam, 2016, p. 327 (ill.)

Ethnographic Artefacts from the Artist’s Collection

During his first visit to Indonesia, Nieuwenkamp met Gerret Pieter Rouffaer, the foremost Dutch Indologist ethnographer and lover of Indonesian art. Rouffaer became Nieuwenkamp’s mentor and lifelong friend, introducing him to the ethnic arts of Indonesia and Bali in particular. This meeting started a long symbiotic relationship between the two men and stimulated Nieuwenkamp to visit Bali on his next journey and to study and collect ethnographic objects.

To pay for his first journey to Bali, Nieuwenkamp met museum curators from several Dutch and German institutions who agreed to have him collect Indonesian art and ethnographic objects on their behalf. To prepare for his journey, Nieuwenkamp frequently visited the Royal Ethnological Museum in Leiden to study its collection of Indonesian and Balinese art and artefacts.

Once in Bali, Nieuwenkamp was so impressed by Balinese art that he immediately purchased and ordered a wide range of ethnographic objects from local craftsmen and artists for the museums and himself. After his return, the Directors of the Ethnographic Museum in Leiden bought an extensive array of objects and asked for more. After numerous lobbying efforts with Queen Wilhelmina, Queen-mother Emma, the Colonial Institute for Language, Land and Peoples and several others, and agreements with several newspapers and periodicals to act as a freelance correspondent, he had sufficient funds to set off for his third journey to Indonesia and his second to Bali in 1906.

However, the tense political situation made travel to Bali impossible. The Dutch government in Batavia had decided to stage a military expedition against South Bali and its capital, Denpasar, to put an end to the independence of the South Balinese Kingdom, seen as a savage and violent place because of its slave trade reputation, the barbaric practice of suttee or widow-burning, and certainly also because of the tradition of beachcombing which the Dutch considered illegal. After Nieuwenkamp had paid General van Heutsz, the Governor General, a visit the General however invited Nieuwenkamp to join the invasion.

On 20 September 1906, after the mass suicide puputan by the Balinese, the rich and beautiful capital of South Bali, Denpasar, fell and was destroyed. Among the shambles, Nieuwenkamp saved as many beautiful architectural elements and artefacts that had survived the destruction as he could from plunderers, Dutch and Balinese. After the destruction, the Dutch auctioned some palace furnishings and artworks where Nieuwenkamp bought things. Much of what he obtained and purchased now is among the prize possessions of the Balinese collection of the Leiden Ethnological Museum, the

Museum of World Cultures. Nieuwenkamp’s artistic vision of the Balinese, their culture, and their environment in his paintings and books is a light that shines forever on the Balinese soul.

He also collected for himself and filled his boat, ‘De Zwerver’, and the house he built in Edam with Indonesian and Balinese art and artefacts.

Here is a selection of ethnographic objects from the Indonesian Archipelago from the collection of W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp.

We are Gianni Orsini grateful for his assistance in cataloguing the ethnographic objects.

An elaborately carved Madurese ‘Donoriko’ whale tooth ivory keris handle

Madura, 19th century

L. 9 cm

Acquired by Nieuwenkamp before 1937, most probably on Java in 1898. The book Malaien/Sammlung W.O.J.

Nieuwenkamp, Berlin, 1924 mentions that the Javanese keris handles were acquired by Nieuwenkamp in 1898. Part of Nieuwenkamp’s ethnographic collection on board ‘De Zwerver’ is illustrated, a.o. showing several keris (handles), including this one.

Literature:

Nieuwenkamp, W.O.J., Mijn Huis op het Water, Mijn Huis op het Land, The Hague, 1930, p. 36 (ill.)

Two Balinese triangular bovine shoulder-bone fans engraved with dance scenes

Bali, probably acquired by Nieuwenkamp in 1937

H. 25.5 x 13 cm / H. 24 x W. 14 cm

In his diary of 1937 Nieuwenkamp described acquiring these fans as “333 schouderblad-Legong-W.O.J.N.” for “Dfl. 1,-“ and “334 schouderblad” for “Dfl. 0.75, March 19, in Tampaksiring, Bali”. On March 24, 1937, Nieuwenkamp also

describes several items being shipped to Rotterdam University, among them “1 schouderblad-344-fl. 1.35”.

Exhibited: W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp – First Western Artist on Bali, Kunsthal Rotterdam, 6 December 1997 - 1 March 1998

A Batak dagger with a handle depicting two humans

A red lacquered wood container shaped like a tropical manggistan fruit

South Sumatra, Palembang, probably acquired by Nieuwenkamp in 1925

H. 6 cm (without stalk), Diam. 5 cm

Exhibited: W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp – First Western Artist on Bali, Kunsthal Rotterdam, 6 December 19971 March 1998

Literature: Budaya-Indonesia, Arts and crafts in Indonesia, Amsterdam, 1987, ill. 194 & 222 (ill.)

A

A Sumatran and a Sewar dagger

Batak and possibly Minangkabau, acquired by Nieuwenkamp in 1925 in Sumatra

L. 22.5 & L. 22 cm

Exhibited: W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp – First Western Artist on Bali, Kunsthal Rotterdam, 6 December 1997 - 1 March 1998

Literature: W. Pijbes, W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, “First European Artist on Bali”, in: Art of Asia, January/February 1998, p. 134 (ill.) (the Batak dagger)

Sewar dagger

A Peranakan red, black and gold lacquered wood bridal box or ponjen

South Sumatra, Palembang, probably acquired by Nieuwenkamp in 1925

H. approx. 43.5 x Diam. 36 cm

For a near-identical bridal box, described and illustrated, see: A. Wentholt, Highlights from the Museum Nusantara Delft, Leiden, 2014, p. 55.

A Timor bamboo and rope cylindrical (lime) container

Acquired by Nieuwenkamp in 1918

H. 11.5 cm

For a pattern very comparable to the Timor container, see: W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Zwerftocht door Timor en onderhoorigheden, 1925, pp. 172 & 174.

These containers where used to hold lime, one of the essential ingredients used in chewing betelnut.

A Sumatran silver-mounted bamboo cylindrical container

Padang, West Sumatra, acquired by Nieuwenkamp in 1925

H. 13 cm

A collection of eight Timor buffalo horn and wood spoons

Acquired by Nieuwenkamp in 1918 during his trip to Timor

L. 17 - 28 cm

Nieuwenkamp amassed one of the most important collections of ritual spoons from Timor, mostly made of buffalo horn, delicately carved with motifs unique to the region, and, for the most part, derived from the so-called Dong-Son Bronze Age culture.

Exhibited:

W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp – First Western Artist on Bali, Kunsthal Rotterdam, 6 December 1997 - 1 March 1998

Literature:

W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Mijn Huis op het Water, Mijn Huis op het Land, The Hague, 1930, p. 36 (a part of Nieuwenkamp’s ethnographic collection on board ‘De Zwerver’ is illustrated, including one of the present spoons)

W. Pijbes, “W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, First European Artist on Bali”, in: Art of Asia, January/February 1998, p. 134 (ill.) (all eight spoons are illustrated)

A Dayak decorated and beaded cylindric container

Borneo, Kalimantan, early 20th century

H. 16 cm

Acquired by Nieuwenkamp in Batavia on 4 March 1918 as part of a collection of more than 300 objects directly from Mr. Jean Demmeni (1866-1939), who collected it during his 1898-1899 expedition to the Bahau tribes, UpperMahakam, Borneo/Kalimantan, together with Prof. Dr. Anton Willem Nieuwenhuis (1864-1953).

Exhibited: W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp – First Western Artist on Bali, Kunsthal Rotterdam, 6 December 1997 - 1 March 1998

Literature: Nederlands-Indië Oud & Nieuw, July 1925, pp. 66-92

A Dayak decorated cylindric container containing poisonous arrows

Borneo, Kalimantan, early 20th century

H. 32 x Diam. 5 cm

Acquired by Nieuwenkamp in Batavia on 4 March 1918 as part of a collection of more than 300 objects directly from Mr. Jean Demmeni (18661939), who collected it during his 1898-1899 expedition to the Bahau tribes, UpperMahakam, Borneo/Kalimantan, together with Prof. Dr. Anton Willem Nieuwenhuis (18641953).

Literature: Malaien/Sammlung W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Berlin, 1924 Nederlands-Indië

Oud & Nieuw, July 1925, pp. 66-92

A collection of nine Dayak wooden objects for tattoo stamping

Borneo, Kalimantan, early 20th century

L. 19 x W. 4 cm (largest)

Literature: Malaien/Sammlung W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Berlin, 1924

Nederlands-Indië Oud & Nieuw, July 1925, pp. 66-92

A collection of three Dayak wooden tattoo stamps

Borneo, Kalimantan, early 20th century

H. 29, 31.5 & 31.5 cm

W. 3.5, 4 & 4.5 cm

Acquired by Nieuwenkamp in Batavia on 4 March 1918 as part of a collection of more than 300 objects directly from Mr. Jean Demmeni (1866-1939), who collected it during his 1898-1899 expedition to the Bahau tribes, Upper-Mahakam, Borneo/ Kalimantan, together with Prof. Dr. Anton Willem Nieuwenhuis (18641953).

Literature: Malaien/Sammlung W.O.J. Nieuwenkamp, Berlin, 1924

Nederlands-Indië Oud & Nieuw, July 1925, pp. 66-92

A decorated Dayak bone spatula

Borneo, Kalimantan, early 20th century

L. 15.5 cm

Acquired by Nieuwenkamp in Batavia on 4 March 1918 as part of a collection of more than 300 objects directly from Mr. Jean Demmeni (1866-1939), who collected it during his 18981899 expedition to the Bahau tribes, Upper-Mahakam, Borneo/ Kalimantan, together with Prof. Dr. Anton Willem Nieuwenhuis (18641953).

Literature: Nederlands-Indië Oud & Nieuw, July 1925, pp. 66-92)

A collection of Dayak objects

Borneo, Kalimantan, early 20th century

Two iron tools (the larger a taten sonsepit, a stamp), two wood and bamboo pointed objects, and a wooden Dayak comb with a label reading: ‘132 Kõi Kaloeng (decorated hair comb) afk.v. (comming from) Kaja / Kajam / te Long Bloeöe’, 3 stuks (three pieces).

L. 9 - 27.5 cm

Literature: Nederlands-Indië Oud & Nieuw, July 1925, pp. 66-92)

An ikat cloth, depicting reproducing mother figures, representing continuity and maintenance of the family line

Timor, late 19 th century

L. 210 x W. 100 cm (approx.)

Acquired by Nieuwenkamp in August 1918, probably in Batavia.

Exhibited:

W.O.J.Nieuwenkamp – First Artist on Bali, In Kunsthal, Rotterdam, 6 December 1997 – 1 March 1998. Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Palais du Louvre, Paris, Exposition de l’Art Décoratifs dans les Indes Néerlandaises, May 9 – June 9, 1927

This ikat has most probably also been exhibited at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (1927), the Museum für Völkerkunde, München (1928), and the Karl Ernst Osthaus-Bund, Hagen (1928).

An ikat cloth, depicting several different stylized animals

Sumba, 19 th century

L. 223 x W. 100 cm (approx.)

Acquired by Nieuwenkamp in August 1918, probably in Batavia.

Literature:

Sammlung W.O.J.Nieuwenkamp, Berlin, 1924, illustrated. Bild 164. Art & Decoration, September 1927, illustrated. p. 87

Exhibited:

Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Palais du Louvre, Paris, Exposition de l’Art Décoratif dans les Indes Néerlandaises, May 9-June 9, 1927

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Cover Four Balinese, 1904

Photography Michiel Elsevier Stokmans

Design A10design

Printed by Pietermans Drukkerij, Lanaken, Belgium

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