Javanese King through European Painter Lens: The Portrait of Pakubuwana IX in Sasana Mulya, Surakarta, Indonesia

This paper examines the Orientalist influences in the portrait of Pakubuwana IX, a Javanese king, painted by Dutch artist Daniël Harkink for the Rozenburg factory in the Netherlands. Commissioned five years after the king’s death, the painting presents an unusual setting—Pakubuwana IX is depicted against a Tamil temple backdrop rather than a Javanese one. This raises important questions about how the artist, who never visited Java, conceptualized the East and how colonial artistic traditions shaped such representations.

Drawing on Edward Said’s theory of Orientalism and Linda Nochlin’s critique of Orientalist art, this study explores how Harkink’s work reflects a broader European tendency to generalise and romanticise the East. The use of an Indianised setting for a Javanese ruler aligns with colonial-era narratives that positioned Java as a cultural offshoot of India rather than a distinct civilization. These ideas were reinforced by scholars like Ananda Coomaraswamy and Alfred Foucher, who portrayed Indonesia as a passive recipient of Indian culture. While Harkink’s painting does not directly depict Pakubuwana IX in a negative light, it exemplifies the way colonial-era art often blended different Asian cultures into a single, exoticized vision. The painting is not just an artistic interpretation but part of a larger pattern in which European artists and scholars imposed their own narratives onto colonized societies.

By analysing this portrait, the paper sheds light on the power dynamics embedded in colonial-era art and the lasting impact of these representations. The case of Pakubuwana IX’s portrait highlights the importance of critically reassessing historical depictions and recognizing how art can shape cultural identity and historical memory.

Born in Boyolali, Muhammad Faiz earned a Bachelor’s degree in Archaeology from the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Gadjah Mada University, in February 2021. He is currently pursuing an MA in the History of Art and Archaeology at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, under the SOAS-Alphawood Scholarship. He has published several scholarly articles and has also presented at symposiums such as Post-Pandemic Art, Tourism, and Cultural Management and Towards a New Global History of Javanese Court Culture, Politics, and Governance.