Pair of Book Cabinets (a & b)

Batavia, 1747

Teakwood and glass

These two teak book cabinets were crafted in Batavia in 1747 to store official archives. Each cabinet features double glass-paneled doors, once fitted with multiple small panes- some of which are now missing. The cabinets rest on five rounded feet, with a wooden board connecting them for stability. Beneath the dark brown finish, traces of red lacquer and gilding remain visible, suggesting their original decorative elegance.

 

The design combines solid local materials with European stylistic features such as heavy cornices, pilaster-like side panels, and brass fittings. These cabinets likely once held the administrative records of the Koninklijk Bataviaasch Genootschap (Royal Batavian Society), an institution central to Batavia’s intellectual and bureaucratic life.

 

Today, they are displayed in the Town Hall Gallery of the Jakarta History Museum, evoking the layered history of record-keeping and authority in colonial Batavia.

KBG 22229 a–b / MSJ ’77:168a/ML/MSJ, 029/MM/MSJ / MSJ ’08:5 ML MSJ 2008 / MSJ ’08:5 LA MSJ 2008