Netherlands Returning Hundreds Of Stolen Artifacts To Indonesia, Sri Lanka
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
AMSTERDAM (Worthy News) – The Netherlands has decided to return some 478 pieces of stolen art and cultural artifacts to the former colonies of Indonesia and Sri Lanka, Worthy News learned Friday.
Most of these works are highly valuable and culturally significant, the Ministry of Culture said in The Hague. It is a “historic moment,” added State Secretary Gunay Uslu, who noted that these “should never have been in the Netherlands.”
Some objects to be handed back include the so-called “Lombok treasure” — a collection of hundreds of precious stones, gold, and silver objects, looted by the Dutch colonial army from Indonesia’s island of Lombok in 1894. A part of this treasure was returned to Indonesia in 1977.
The cannon of Kandy, another highlight from the looted pieces, will also be returned to Sri Lanka. The ceremonial weapon is made of bronze, silver, and gold, inlaid with rubies.
The barrel, decorated with the symbols of the King of Kandy, is believed to have fallen into Dutch hands in 1765.
Since 1800, the piece has been in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, the national museum of Art and History.
A ceremony has been planned this week to hand over the looted artifacts to Indonesia officially. And a similar ceremony will happen in Sri Lanka later this year, the government said. The announcement by the Dutch government comes after King Willem-Alexander apologized for the sufferings of hundreds of thousands of people under slavery.
ASKING FORGIVENESS
On Saturday, he asked for forgiveness on the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the Netherlands, one of the most extensive colonial powers from the 17th century onwards.
The decision to return the objects was made after considering the recommendations of a government-appointed commission last year, which looked into illegal Dutch colonial acquisitions now being displayed in museums in the Netherlands.
The commission was set up following a request by Indonesia to return the art pieces and natural history collections from its former colonial ruler.
The Colonial Collections Committee also considers other requests from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Nigeria following joint research. “This is a historic moment. It is the first time that, based on the advice of the Colonial Collections Committee, we are returning objects that should never have been in the Netherlands,” said State Secretary Uslu.
“But above all, it is a moment to look to the future. We are not only returning objects; we are actually starting a period in which we will work more intensively with Indonesia and Sri Lanka. For example, in the field of collection research, presentation, and exchange of museum professionals.”
The decision by the Netherlands is part of a broader Western trend to return stolen objects to former colonies and other nations. Earlier this year, the Berlin Museum announced that it is ready to return hundreds of human skulls to the former German colony of East Africa.
In 2021, France said it would return statues and royal thrones taken from the West African nation of Benin. Last year, Belgium returned a gold-capped tooth belonging to the Congolese independence hero Patrice Lumumba.
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