Antara News·Indonesia·Sunday, October 11, 2026 at 03:52 PM UTC

Indonesia, Netherlands to pursue joint research on Raden Saleh

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Abdu Faisal, Resinta Sulistiyandari

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Culture Fadli Zon encouraged joint research by Indonesia and the Netherlands to trace the origins of the Raden Saleh collection and ancestral remains in the Theodor Verhoeven Collection in the Netherlands.

Such an initiative is part of efforts to expand the repatriation of historical cultural objects to Indonesia.

He conveyed this encouragement during a bilateral meeting with Dutch Minister of Education, Culture, and Science Rianne Letschert at the Indonesia House in Amsterdam on Friday (October 9).

"The Raden Saleh collection holds great significance for Indonesia. We intend to continue research collaboration and discussions on other collections held in the Netherlands, including ancestral remains, to ensure that repatriation proceeds on the basis of sound historical and scientific research," the minister said in a statement on Sunday.

Furthermore, the two countries also strengthened their commitment to return 30,190 units of the Dubois Collection and 20 historical cultural objects to Indonesia by signing a joint transfer agreement.

The return of the Dubois Collection includes 29,763 objects and 427 ancestral skeletons related to research on Homo erectus, or Java Man.

Meanwhile, the 20 cultural objects returned include the Banjarmasin Diamond, the Long Sikin Sword from Aceh, a Quran manuscript related to Teuku Umar, four manuscripts from the Aceh Sultanate, six Wayang Beber scrolls, one tomb panel from Aceh, and six Batu Aceh tombstones.

Fadli said these objects come from the collections of the Rijksmuseum and the Wereldmuseum in Amsterdam.

Since 1975, Indonesia has recovered 2,338 historical artifacts from museums in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, including the Pita Maha Collection and the Lombok Treasure.

The minister noted that repatriating these collections would restore Indonesia’s right to preserve, study, and pass on its history and cultural identity to future generations.

He also expressed confidence that the Dutch government would remain open to discussions on returning more historical artifacts to Indonesia and exploring joint research to establish a stronger historical basis for future repatriation efforts.

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