Basreliëf op het pendopo voetstuk aan de oostzijde van Candi Panataran. Possibly 1867

This photograph shows a bas-relief on the pendopo, or pavilion, of the Panataran temple, and was taken by Isidore Kinsbergen, a Dutch photographer active in the mid-19th century Dutch East Indies. The image captures the visual language of the Panataran temple, an important site for the Hindu-Buddhist syncretism that flourished in Java. Kinsbergen's photograph is a key document of Dutch colonial interest in Javanese cultural heritage. The temple itself, built over several centuries, reflects the complex political landscape of the Majapahit kingdom and its successor states. Kinsbergen, working within the colonial context, documented the temple's art and architecture, contributing to the European understanding of Javanese history. The photograph not only showcases the relief's artistic style, but also serves as a historical artifact, revealing the state of the temple in the late 19th century. To fully understand this photograph, we need to consider the histories of both Dutch colonialism and Javanese art. We can then appreciate the social conditions that shaped both the creation of the relief and its subsequent documentation by Kinsbergen.