Reliëf met Boeddhistische goden, mogelijk van de tempel Candi Mendut 1836 - 1858

Andries Wiemans Cz. created this relief of Buddhist gods possibly from the Candi Mendut temple with pen and paper. Wiemans was working during a time of Dutch colonialism in Indonesia. These drawings become a lens through which to consider the transmission of cultural and religious knowledge within the context of colonial power dynamics. The artist’s own cultural background inevitably shapes how he represents these figures and scenes. While this drawing depicts figures and stories central to Buddhist cosmology, it also exists as an artifact that reflects the complicated power dynamics of the Dutch colonial presence in Indonesia. Consider the emotional weight carried by such images for both the colonizer and the colonized. For the Dutch, these images might have represented an exoticized 'other,' while for the Indonesian people, they were intrinsic to their spiritual identity and cultural heritage. This drawing is not just a rendering of religious iconography but also a document of cultural exchange.