157 FIG. 7: View of the museum’s entrance, 2011. FIG. 6 (right): Ancestor figure. Batu Islands. Image reproduced on p. 39. Photo: Arend Velsink. FIG. 4: Staff finial. Minahasa, Rumoong, Sulawesi. Image reproduced on p. 171. Photo: Arend Velsink. Nusantara also lends an idea about the evolution of sensibilities in Dutch society, and more particularly Delft society, with regard to non-European art. The desire to give permanence to the museum’s history and its collection is equally apparent in the precision and detail in the provenances of the many pieces presented in the book’s catalog. Attentive reading of this information shows that the museum was dynamic in the enrichment of its collection, thanks both to exchanges it made with other institutions (including the Tropenmuseum) and to gifts by donors. Short biographies of the most important among the latter are published at the end of the book, which concludes with reproductions of catalog covers and posters taken from its long history, serving as a kind of homage to the museum’s contributions to culture and science. Presentation of Major Works The central part of Highlights is the catalog, which is a book within a book. It is unquestionably the part of this work that will get the most attention. Nearly 150 pieces, among the most important in the collection in terms of their beauty and age, are reproduced, often from several angles so they can be better appreciated. Each of them is accompanied by detailed descriptions that furnish valuable information on use, symbolism, decoration, and techniques, among other things. The catalog section is divided into nine chapters that are geographically arranged, making it an excellent introduction to the arts of the regions it deals with—Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Bali-Lombok, Sumba, Sulawesi, Timor, the Moluccas, and the Papuan Indonesian provinces. The overview of traditional Indonesian art it provides is all the more complete and thus useful to an uninformed reader because the works selected for it are thoughtfully varied and include sculptures, weapons, furniture, ornaments, and textiles, among other materials. While the closure of the Nusantara Museum is regrettable, this is a welcome publication. It succeeds brilliantly as an homage to an emblematic institution which, thanks to this book, will remain forever accessible. FIG. 5 (above): Combs. Talaud, Sulawesi. Image reproduced on p. 172. Photos: Arend Velsink. FIG. 6 (below): Skull. Bidayuh, Kalimantan. Image reproduced on p. 130. Photo: Arend Velsink.
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