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View all search resultsDutch to return colonial-era treasures to Indonesia, Sri Lanka
The Netherlands said on Thursday it would hand back hundreds of colonial-era artifacts to Indonesia and Sri Lanka, including a haul of treasure and a gem-encrusted bronze cannon.
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he Netherlands said on Thursday it would hand back hundreds of colonial-era artifacts to Indonesia and Sri Lanka, including a haul of treasure and a gem-encrusted bronze cannon.
The decision to return some 478 objects followed recommendations by a government-appointed commission last year looking into illegal Dutch colonial acquisitions now being displayed in museums in the Netherlands.
“These recommendations are a milestone in dealing with collections from a colonial context,” said Gunay Uslu, Dutch deputy minister of culture, education and science, as quoted by AFP.
The commission was set up after a request from Indonesia for the Netherlands, its former colonial ruler, to return some art pieces and natural history collections.
The Netherlands’ reigning House of Orange profited by around 3 million guilders, or US$600 million today, from Dutch colonies in 1675-1770, a study commissioned by the government has found.
The State and Slavery study, which examines the role of the Dutch government and related institutions in colonial slavery and its aftereffects, was presented to the Dutch Parliament in June.
It included details on the House of Orange. Princes of the time notably received 3 percent of the Dutch East India Company’s profits from the spice trade in modern-day Indonesia, despite not being a shareholder.
