Author: John Coast, 2004. 232pgs. (English). Softcover
Publisher: Periplus, Singapore
Originally published in New York in 1953 under the title Dancers of Bali by G.P. Putnam’s Sons, and reissued the following year in London by Faber and Faber as Dancing out of Bali, this volume stands as a celebrated classic of postwar Indonesian cultural history. It chronicles the audacious endeavor of John Coast (1916–1989), a British expatriate whose vision brought a troupe of traditional Balinese musicians and dancers to Western stages. Coast’s narrative unfolds against the backdrop of a society recovering from the profound dislocations of the Japanese occupation. Captivated by the transcendent beauty of gamelan music and dance, he conceived the seemingly improbable dream of transporting an entire troupe from Peliatan to London and Broadway. His collaboration with gamelan director Anak Agung Gede Mandera proved pivotal, as together they nurtured prodigious young talents, most memorably the mesmerizing twelve‑year‑old dancer Ni Gusti Ayu Raka Rasmi. The account vividly documents the bureaucratic obstacles, financial risks, and logistical complexities of navigating post‑revolutionary Indonesia in pursuit of cultural exchange. Upon arrival in the West, the troupe achieved immediate and resounding success, enchanting audiences, engaging with luminaries, and establishing a landmark moment in the global recognition of Balinese performance traditions. The book is widely acclaimed for its humorous yet affectionate portrayal of Balinese values, temperament, and artistic devotion. Unlike the patronizing exoticism characteristic of many mid‑century travelogues, Coast’s prose affirms the performers as consummate professional artists. Blending personal memoir with cultural historiography, Dancing out of Bali endures as an essential text for those seeking to apprehend the soul of traditional Balinese performance art and its pivotal role in shaping intercultural dialogue.
Author: Myra Sidharta, 2004. 164pgs. (Indonesian). Softcover
Publisher: Gramedia, Jakarta
This booklet, authored by Myra Sidharta, a distinguished psychologis and scholar renowned for her extensive research on the ethnic Chinese in Indonesia, offers a valuable contribution to the study of Southeast Asian literary history. Sidharta meticulously traces the intellectual trajectories of eight Indo-Chinese writers and novelists who were actively producing substantial works during the first and second quarters of the twentieth century. Her investigation is enriched by oral testimonies gathered through interviews with family members of these writers, though the bulk of her source material derives from international scholarship written in English, Chinese, and French concerning Malay-Chinese literature. Of particular interest is Sidharta’s interpretive approach: she assigns each writer a distinctive epithet reflective of the thematic and stylistic qualities evident in their oeuvre. This methodological choice not only underscores the individuality of each author’s literary voice but also situates them within a broader cultural and historical framework. The booklet thus functions as both a documentary record and a critical analysis, illuminating the complex interplay between diasporic identity, linguistic hybridity, and literary production in colonial and early postcolonial Indonesia.
Author: Essays by Yang Houli & Fan Fengmai, 1998. 112pgs. (English & Chinese), softcover
Publisher: Ching Leng Foundation, Hongkong
This volume constitutes a highly specialized and indispensable scholarly resource for collectors, art historians, archaeologists, and researchers of early Chinese ceramics. Conceived as a comprehensive reference catalogue, it documents one hundred excavated Qingbai ceramic wares recovered from scientifically dated or securely datable archaeological contexts throughout Jiangxi Province, encompassing a chronological span from AD 986 to AD 1348. A careful examination of the volume's content, scholarly contribution, and enduring academic reception demonstrates why it continues to occupy a seminal position within the historiography of Chinese ceramic studies. The work focuses exclusively on objects whose chronology can be established with a high degree of archaeological certainty. Through the systematic analysis of one hundred benchmark artefacts spanning nearly four centuries, the catalogue enables scholars to trace the absolute stylistic, morphological, and technological evolution of Qingbai ceramics. Particular attention is given to developments in vessel typology, glaze composition and application, decorative conventions, and manufacturing practices, thereby providing an unparalleled framework for understanding the historical progression of this influential ceramic tradition. Published in both English and Chinese, the volume makes a substantial body of archaeological evidence accessible to an international scholarly audience. Each catalogue entry contains precise measurements, excavation provenance, contextual archaeological data, and high-quality photographic documentation. Collectively, these records illuminate the transformation of Qingbai ceramics from the refined elegance and restrained aesthetic sensibilities characteristic of the Song dynasty to the more elaborate, robust, and technically sophisticated forms associated with Yuan-period production. For students, curators, and specialists in early Chinese porcelain, the publication addresses one of the discipline's most enduring challenges: the accurate differentiation of authentic Song and Yuan ceramics from later reproductions, emulations, and forgeries. Because every illustrated example derives from securely dated tombs, burial assemblages, or hoard deposits, the catalogue functions as an authoritative chronological framework for comparative analysis, connoisseurship, and authentication. Particularly valuable are the volume's documented stylistic comparisons between objects linked to precise historical dates, including Song-dynasty vases recovered from contexts dated to AD 1209 in Nanchang County and comparable examples dated to AD 1211, contrasted with the more substantial and architectonic Yuan-period forms dating to AD 1293. Such comparisons furnish tangible evidence for changing aesthetic preferences, technological innovations, and shifts in production practices across successive periods. The work also provides significant insight into the ceramic manufacturing centres of Jiangxi Province, especially the renowned kilns of Jingdezhen, whose products would ultimately exert profound influence on both domestic and international ceramic traditions. Through meticulous archaeological documentation, the volume demonstrates how ceramic bodies, firing technologies, kiln management practices, and glaze-pooling techniques evolved over several centuries. In doing so, it reveals the remarkable technological sophistication that underpinned Jingdezhen's emergence as one of China's foremost centres of porcelain manufacture. Ceramic specialists, museum professionals, and connoisseurs have consistently praised the catalogue for its methodological rigour and evidential reliability. Its principal strength lies in its reliance upon verifiable archaeological data rather than speculative stylistic interpretation or subjective aesthetic judgement. Consequently, the volume serves as an exceptionally dependable tool for cross-referencing, authentication, and chronological assessment of disputed ceramic objects. Nevertheless, its narrowly defined geographical scope may also be viewed as a limitation. By concentrating principally on excavated material from Jiangxi Province, the work offers only limited consideration of contemporaneous Qingbai-inspired production within peripheral southern kiln networks, including those of Fujian and Guangdong. Furthermore, as a catalogue raisonné rather than a synthetic historical study, the publication devotes comparatively little attention to broader cultural narratives, economic structures, patterns of consumption, or the role of maritime trade in the dissemination of Qingbai wares across East and Southeast Asia. Readers seeking a more expansive socio-economic or cultural interpretation may therefore wish to consult complementary monographic studies. Overall, this publication remains a classic and essential reference work for any serious collection devoted to Chinese art, archaeology, ceramic history, and material culture studies. Its meticulous documentation, secure archaeological foundations, methodological precision, and unparalleled value as a chronological benchmark ensure its continued relevance and authority within the field. More than a catalogue of excavated artefacts, it serves as a foundational scholarly instrument for the study, identification, and historical interpretation of Qingbai ceramics, securing its enduring significance in the broader discourse of Chinese ceramic and material culture research.
Author: de Raadt-Apell, 1980. 64pgs, (Dutch). Softcover.
Publisher: Terra, Zuthphen, Netherlands
De Batikkerij Van Zuylen in Pekalongan refers to the renowned Indo-European batik atelier founded in 1890 by Eliza van Zuylen. The workshop is celebrated for pioneering the iconic buketan motif—elaborate, vividly colored bouquets of European flowers rendered with remarkable precision. It is distinguished by several notable historical markers. Eliza van Zuylen established what became the largest Indo-European batik enterprise in Java, employing more than one hundred artisans at its zenith. Remarkably, her workshop was the sole European-owned batik establishment in Java to withstand the global economic depression of the 1930s. Van Zuylen’s batiks are instantly recognizable by their signature style: expansive, hand-drawn floral compositions accompanied by the artist’s autograph inscribed directly onto the cloth.
Author: Ada Lilipaly-de Voogt, 1993, 344pg. (Dutch language). Hardcover
Publisher: Steunpunt Edukatie Molukkers/Het Drentse Boek, Utrecht/ Zuidwolde, Netherlands
This book seeks to preserve and document narratives from the Moluccas for the benefit of the Moluccan diaspora and their descendants residing in the Netherlands. The purpose of this publication is to foster a deeper connection with their ancestral heritage and homeland, ensuring that their cultural roots are remembered and sustained across generations.
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