146
Glittering as Gold
The Harry and Miep Schillings Collection of
West and Central African Bronze Adornments
By Arnold Wentholt
Published in English by C. Zwartenkot Art Books,
Leiden, 2017
21.6 x 28 cm, 200 pages, 100 color plates, fi eld
photographs, maps, index of ethnic groups
ISBN: 978-9054500179
Hardcover with slip case, 50 euros
Though bronze, brass, and copper have been regarded
as inferior metals in Western eyes, in sub-Saharan Africa,
copper and its alloys proved to be a much-coveted
material that was used in bodily adornments, on statuary,
and as a means of exchange. Brass, in particular,
became a highly valued metal that rivaled gold in luster
as well as glitter. The adornments that grew from
these trade metals became a phenomenon specifi c to
West and Central Africa. Among certain African cultures,
such adornments served not only to distinguish
oneself in life, but were also regarded as the most
personal of items of the wearer after death and were
commonly placed on the family altar as a form of remembrance.
This book introduces in detail some 100 items selected
on the basis of form, rarity, and decorative motifs
from the many hundreds of items in the Harry and
Miep Schillings Collection. This is a useful addition to
any reference library of African art.
Raja Ampat Ritual Art
Spirit Priests and Ancestor Cults in
New Guinea’s Far West
By Raymond Corbey
Published in English by C. Zwartenkot Art Books,
Leiden, 2017
21.6 x 28 cm, 163 pages, more than 120 illustrations
in color and black and white
ISBN: 978-9054500186
Hardcover, 45 euros
Over the course of the last century, the traditional
ritual art related to ancestor cults, spirit beliefs, and
headhunting has withered in the sparsely populated
Raja Ampat archipelago. Setting out to establish an
inventory of mon spirit fi gures, korwars, and secret
priests’ drawings, this book also delves into the exploits
of naturalists, explorers, colonial administrators,
and, in particular, missionaries since the beginning of
the nineteenth century. The social and cosmological
background of the spirit and ancestor fi gurines from
the archipelago is discussed extensively with a wealth
of fascinating details and new insights. In the process,
it is shown that the demise and the exodus of
the traditional art resulted from complex interactions
between indigenous agency, conversion, cargo cult
activity, modernization, and, signifi cantly, intervention
by colonial administrators. The abundant illustrations
feature most of the known korwar fi gures, which have
a distinctive and much-admired style, and also include
a number of stunning, sacred-secret drawings depicting
the spirit world devised by indigenous priests to
serve in their rituals. Acquired during the 1930s, these
drawings were long believed to be lost but have recently
been rediscovered.
The author, Raymond Corbey, is an anthropologist
attached to Leiden University in the Netherlands and
has published extensively in this fi eld.
Ancestors and Rituals
Edited by Daud Tanudirjo, Pieter ter Keurs, and
Francine Brinkgreve
Published in English, French, and Dutch editions by
Snoeck, 2017
22 x 28 cm, 208 pages, more than 200 illustrations in
color and black and white
ISBN: 978-94-6161-377-6
Hardcover, 38 euros
This is the catalog that accompanies the exhibition of
the same name organized for the Europalia Indonesia
festival at the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels. It
presents a general introduction to the history of Indonesian
art followed by discussions of the principal
themes that defi ne it, including status, fertility, protection,
death rituals, and the role of ancestors in the Indonesia
of today. In addition to the exhibition curator,
Daud Tanudirjo, numerous contributors, including Peter
ter Keurs, Nico de Jonge, Heddy Shri Ahimsa Putra,
and Abdul Munir Mulkhan, present essays here. These
are complemented by hundreds of seldom-seen masterpieces
of Indonesian art on loan from the National
Museum of Indonesia in Jakarta, which have never before
been exhibited outside Indonesia. These objects,
all specially photographed and mostly illustrated on
full pages, are accompanied by detailed descriptions,
making this book a valuable resource and reference
for a wide array of Indonesian art forms, ranging from
sculptures and textiles to jewelry and prestige items.
The editors and publisher should be congratulated
for producing such a lavish volume, which is printed
in three separate language editions at a price that is
accessible to most.
For more information about the exhibition itself, see
the Museum News section of this issue.
BOOKS