Museum Nasional Indonesia – Jakarta, Indonesia

The Museum Nasional is an excellent opportunity to familiarize yourself with the vast and diverse culture of the many Indonesian islands. Although it is the best museum in Indonesia and one of the finest in Southeast Asia, its enormous collection of cultural and art objects is exhibited in the 1800-style, with many objects cramped in big window closets, most with no dates or information. The majority of the sculptures have no signs. For these reasons, I strongly recommend to join a guided tour to get a better understanding of the history and art of Indonesia (guided tour in English only Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 9:30 am and last Sunday of every month at 10:30 am).

Outside: In 1778, a group of Dutch intellectuals established a scientific institution to promote research in the field of arts and sciences. One of the founders donated a building and a collection of objects and books, which was the start of the museum and library. In 1862 the Dutch East Indian government decided to build a new museum. The Museum was officially opened in 1868 and became known as Gedung Gajah (Elephant House), due to the bronze elephant statue in the front yard donated by the Thai King. The building was also called Gedung Arca (House of Statues), due to its vast collection of statues on display. In 1962, the museum was handed over to the Indonesian government. Since 1979 it has been called Museum Nasional.
Inside: The museum displays historical artifacts of Indonesian culture that date as far back as the Stone Age. The museum has an excellent collection of Chinese ceramics dating back to the Han, Tang and Ming Dynasties, as well as bronze and gold collections from the Indonesian classical period. The collection of statues, mainly Hindu gods and goddesses, is also impressive. The most fascinating room is the Treasure Room (and also the only one with air-conditioning!), a collection of imperial gold and silver objects, adorned with precious stones. Don’t miss the statue of the goddess of transcendental wisdom Prajnaparamita, adorned with of jewels from head to toes. The textile section is also unique, with its old batik and Indonesian garments. A batik is a hand-made drawing on white cotton or silk with hot wax, which resists dye. After dyeing, the wax is removed, showing the pattern of the undyed areas. This process is repeated with as many as five colors until the desired pattern is achieved. (Last visited 12/2005)