Eduard von der Heydt's Wuppertal collection of Indonesian textiles, examples of which are displayed in these showcases, is significant both for its quality and quantity and for its history. The textiles, which probably originated with the Jewish collector Georg Tillmann (1882-1941) in Amsterdam, came into the possession of Eduard von der Heydt through the art dealer Carel van Lier. The exact circumstances of the change of ownership are the subject of ongoing research. Von der Heydt donated the collection to the Städtisches Museum Wuppertal in 1937. The textile collection once comprised 80 items. Due to losses during the war, 68 objects remain in the collection today.
Textiles and their weaving and dyeing traditions have always played a central role in Indonesian religious and social life. They held magical powers, served as protection from evil and symbolised links to the world of gods and ancestors. The production of these works was in the hands of women, who controlled the entire production process: from processing the fibres to weaving, dyeing and decoration. The Wuppertal collection includes fabrics from Java, Sumatra, Timor, Bali and other regions and islands, reflecting the diversity of traditional techniques. Particularly noteworthy are the ikat and batik techniques, the results of which are remarkable both artistically and in terms of craftsmanship.
Most of the textiles date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Their provenance relates to Indonesia's colonial past under Dutch rule. Due to wars, colonial upheavals and natural disasters such as the 2004 tsunami, comparable collections are rare in Indonesia today. The Wuppertal collection is therefore of considerable scientific and museum value and attracts international experts.
Three sarongs from different regions of the island of Java are on display in this showcase. They are cotton hip skirts made using the batik technique. Batik is an Indonesian dyeing technique in which patterns are created and dyed with wax. This type of fabric decoration originated around the 16th century and was also influenced by trade with Europe. The large Chinese communities in Java also have a strong influence on batik patterns. The town of Pekalongan, where the sarong on the left comes from, was home to a number of highly skilled workshops, some of them in Dutch hands, whose sarongs were popular not only in Indonesia. The designs - flower arrangements or fairy tales - were sometimes taken from Dutch postcards or poetry albums.
The collection is a testament to the rich textile tradition of what is now Indonesia, which from the 17th century was a colony of the Netherlands, administered by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and later directly by the Dutch government. The Dutch East Indies was a major source of spices, coffee, sugar and other export goods, while the local population suffered from forced labour and high taxes. In the 19th century, the system led to great economic gain for the Netherlands, but also to poverty and hunger among the locals. From the 1920s, resistance to colonial rule grew, eventually leading to the War of Independence (1945-1949). In 1949, the Netherlands recognised Indonesia's independence, but the colonial era left economic inequality and political conflicts that still affect the country today.
