Twelve Stone Sculptures from Java

Abstract

i n T his article examines the history and provenance of a group of twelve stone sculptures from Java, six of which are currently on display in the Rijks museum's Asia Pavilion.All twelve are Hindu-Buddhist images from the Central Javanese period of the eighth to the tenth century ad, made famous by the great religious monuments of Borobudur and the Prambanan Plain.The sculptures were acquired in 1932 by the Vereniging van Vrienden der Aziatische Kunst (vvak) or 'Society of Friends of Asian Art', and were first shown to the public at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam before being transferred to the Rijks museum in 1952.They have been on long-term loan to the museum since 1972.Although many of the Javanese sculptures in the Rijksmuseum and in other museums worldwide were bought on the national or international art market, without any indication of where they were originally found, this group is exceptional.All the sculptures were obtained directly from the former Archaeological Service of the Dutch East Indies (Oudheidkundige Dienst in Nederlandsch-Indië), which kept detailed records of its excavations and restoration work on the Hindu-Buddhist temples of Java.This information is therefore invaluable for identifying the original context and function of the sculptures.Using both

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