Buddha statue at the Borobudur Temple Java, by Jan Christiaan Poortenaar

View of a Buddha statue at the Borobudur with a crescent moon in the sky, a rare and detailed print of the famous Javanese Temple. 

Dating back to the 9th century, the Borobudur Temple complex is one of the defining landmarks of Buddhism in the Indies and one of the wonders of the world. Built in the style of a mandala, Borobudur consists of nine stacked platforms topped by a central dome. With 72 statues of the Buddha in its stupas, it is undoubtedly the largest buddhist temple in the world and a marvel. After the natives converted to Islam in the 14th century, the temple went in decline until Sir Stamford Raffles mounted an expedition to “rediscover” the lost temple.

Jan Christiaan Poortenaar was a Dutch graphic artist, graphic designer, painter, watercolourist, draftsman, engraver, lithographer, manufacturer of woodcuts, illustrator, author, and publisher. Poortenaar (1886-1958) was mainly self-taught but did receive lessons from Piet Wijngaerdt and Willem Witsen. From 1914-1922 he lived in London, where he made his first major etchings of Trafalgar Square and Waterloo Bride. He worked in the Dutch East Indies until 1924.⁣

Jan Poortenaar
Title
Borobudur Temple, Antique Etching
Publication Place / Date
Image Dimensions
Indonesia/ca.1920
70 by 60 cm.
Color
Condition
VG+
Product Price
Product Number
USD 580
SKU #P.1680