Almost all the objects were acquired as gifts. A small proportion of them – approximately ten per cent– were presented to King WilliamIII. Most of the others were given to Queen Emma and Queen Wilhelmina, mainly to mark special occasions such as an investiture, a
birth, a jubilee or a wedding anniversary.
Shield from Aceh, Indonesia – Collection Dutch Royal Family
Nearly all the gifts come from Indonesia, Suriname and the Caribbean. A few examples of objects from the former colonies of other countries were also found. The gifts were presented by private individuals and civic collectives, colonial administrative officials and military personnel, and by local rulers of the former Dutch East Indies.
Due to the often incomplete and unclear nature of the available source material, it was not possible to establish the full provenance of all the objects.
Painful detail: The one thousand are only a fraction of what the royal family once owned, as the majority has disappeared or was auctioned off to pay off the debts of King William II (1840-1849).
In June 2022, the Royal Family set up a committee that had to research all objects derived from colonial regions. This was in line with the Dutch government’s policy for dealing with colonial collections.
Amulet necklace (simplah) with 26 star-shaped gold links – Collection Dutch Royal Family
The Royal Family has welcomed the outcome of the provenance research and adopted the recommendations.
The committee recommends that the Royal Family should in the near future consider the practicalities of information exchange and the organisation of the process for handling restitution requests. The manner in which the board seeks advice on specific requests requires particular consideration. This should include exploring the options for the short- or long-term loan of objects that are not eligible for restitution.
The Royal Collections are a private collection. Advice may therefore besought from the national Commissie Koloniale Collecties (Colonial Collections Committee), but solutions may also be achieved without the committee’s involvement. In other words, the royals have been advised to deal with claims from former colonies in the same way as the Dutch government does with objects from the Dutch National Collection.
Indische / Indian Room in Noordeinde Palace, with temple statues
