Bartele Gallery Stunning Prints

Auguste van Pers arrived in Indonesia early in 1837 and shortly afterwards was employed as an engraver and draughtsman in the Geographic Dept. of Bureau of Statistivs int he General Secretariat at Buitenzorg. In 1843, he moved to the recently established printing office of the Topographical Bureau of the Engineers, and there executed lithograph plates for Junghuhn’s article in the Tijdschrift voor Neerlands-Indie (1844).

At the same time his talents as an engraver were enlisted by the booksellers, Ukena & Co., Batavia, to execute a series of lithograph plates after drawings by the French artist, Ernest Hardouin, for a work entitled Nederlandsch Oost-Indische Typen, which was to depict the various elements of Indonesian society, accompanied by brief, and, so far as possible, humorous descriptions. The work was announced as being in preparation by Ukena & Co. in the Indisch Magazijn in 1844, when some proof plates were printed, but the work did not proceed and by 1851 Van Pers and Hardouin had decided to go their separate ways.

In October 1851 Lange & Co., Batavia published Part 1 of Nederlandsch Oost-Indische Typen - drawn from life and lithographed by Van Pers, with descriptions in Dutch and French, and plate captions in those languages as well as Javanese and Malay. The work was to be published in 12 parts, large quarto format, with 72 plates. The work was never completed due to Van Pers’ ill health and his departure for the Netherlands in January, 1852.

A total of 16 plates were apparently printed, although it is possible that only the 6 contained in Part 1 were actually published. In the Netherlands, the enterprise was taken over by C.W. Mieling, The Hague, who published the work between 1853 and 1862. Mieling stated that the work would appear in 20 parts, each which would contain 80 plates, with text in Dutch and French. As originally projected, the completed work would contain 80 plates, a figure that was never reached. Brinkman’s Catalogues states that 40 plates were published although in fact 56 plates were published, but most extant copies contain only 44 plates.

The colourful plates vary greatly in subject matter and have become great collector’s items for those interested in Indonesia’s history.

At Bartele Gallery, we have the full set of these valuable prints from Oost-Indische Typen for sale so please feel free to stop by and view them!

Auguste van Pers (1815 - 1871)

Waterdrager. Porteur d’Eau. Auguste van Pers. 1856.This rare and coloured print shows a Javanese water carrier with two buckets on a shoulder yoke. Excellent condition. Measures 265 x 215 mm.

Opiumschuivers. Des Fumeurs d’Opium.Auguste van Pers. 1856.

This stunning print shows Javanese locals smoking opium from a pipe in their home. Excellent condition. Measures 300 x 250 mm.

Kantor Taman E3.3 Unit A1 4th Floor (entrance via Cazbar)Jl. Mega KuninganJakarta Tel: +62 21 5764575Fax: +62 21 5764576Email: bartele@me.com