Gids voor den bezoeker van de schatkamer (English: “Guide for the Visitor of the Treasure Room”) is a catalogue published in 1928 by the Royal Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences (Koninklijk Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen) in Batavia. It provides a detailed, item-by-item inventory of the Society’s treasure room (schatkamer), which housed its collection of gold, silver, and precious-metal objects from across the Netherlands Indies.
Publication details
The guide was printed by Ruygrok & Co. of Batavia, under the Society’s publication number Pb 38104. The title page bears the note: “N.B. Alle verzamelingen van het Genootschap zijn kosteloos te bezichtigen” — “N.B. All collections of the Society are freely accessible to visitors.” A surviving copy is held by Tresoar in Leeuwarden (signature 061 62649).
Scope and organisation
The guide covers the entire treasure room, organised by region and displayed in a series of cabinets (kasten). The regions represented include:
- Sumatra and surrounding islands: Riouw-Lingga, Atjeh (three cabinets), Deli, Palembang, Djambi, Bataklands, Asahan
- Borneo: Kotawaringin, Southern and Eastern Division, Western Division
- Celebes: Gorontalo, Djempoea, Soppeng, Boni, Takalar, Tanette, Makassar, Toradja, Goa
- Java: Bantam, Preanger Regencies, Tjirebon, Vorstenlanden, Madura (Bangkalan, Soemenep)
- Bali and Lombok: Kloengkoeng, Karangasem, Gianjar, Badoeng, Tabanan, Boeleleng, Lombok
- Timor and dependencies: Soembawa, Flores, Lomblen, Alor, Timor, various
The guide also lists objects of unknown provenance, wall-mounted items, upper cabinets, and free-standing standards.
The Atjeh collection
The Atjeh section, occupying Cabinets 3, 4, and 5 (pages 7–13 of the guide), is one of the largest regional assemblages in the treasure room. See Batavian Society Treasure Room Aceh Collection for a full discussion.
Significance as a source
The guide is a valuable primary source for the study of Indonesian and Acehnese material culture in the late pre-colonial and colonial periods. Its item-by-item format, with brief but specific descriptions of materials, techniques, and provenance, provides information that is often unavailable from other sources. The guide is particularly important for Acehnese studies, as it documents a large assemblage of Acehnese precious-metal work assembled during the Aceh War and the early colonial period.
Limitations
The guide is a museum catalogue, not an ethnographic treatise. Its descriptions are brief and technical, focused on materials and visual appearance rather than cultural context or use. The OCR quality of surviving copies is variable, and some Acehnese personal and place names are rendered in Dutch colonial orthography that can be difficult to reconcile with modern spellings.
See Also
- Koninklijk Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen
- Batavian Society Treasure Room Aceh Collection
- Acehnese Gold and Silverwork
- 1928
Source
Gids voor den bezoeker van de schatkamer, Koninklijk Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen, Batavia, 1928. Druk: Ruygrok & Co., Batavia. Pb 38104.