Chippendale Bookcase

Batavia, 18th century

Teakwood, glass

This Chippendale-style bookcase, crafted in Batavia during the 18th century, demonstrates the local adaptation of a popular European design. Made of teakwood and fitted with two glass-paneled doors decorated with floral latticework, the cabinet once held an array of books and documents. The upper section is crowned with a carved pediment, while the lower table includes twin drawers for writing materials or correspondence.

The piece entered the museum’s collection after the transfer of sovereignty in 1949, when the Museum Oud Batavia became the Museum Djakarta Lama - later the Jakarta History Museum. Combining European stylistic refinement with tropical durability, this bookcase reflects the intellectual and material exchanges that shaped Batavia’s domestic and administrative interiors.

OB 437 / MSJ 77 179/ML/MSJ / MSJ 2008 22 ML MSJ 2008 / MSJ 2008 22 L MSJ 2008