The closure of the Poppenspe(e)lmuseum in Vorchten

[ in Dutch] Due to the death of Otto van der Mieden on February 1, 2024, the founder and director of the Puppetry Museum, the museum is closed and the collection is being deaccessioned.

In 2017, the Puppetry Museum received approximately 1,400 objects (primarily wayang kulit and wayang golek puppets) from the wayang collection of the Nusantara Museum in Delft, which closed in 2013.
The two-tone gamelan “Kjai Paridjata” (Lord Tree of Life) was acquired by museum Nusantara in 1968. In 2019, the orchestra was transferred to the Poppenspe(e)lmuseum.

Due to the closure and dissolution of the Puppetry Museum, this subcollection and gamelan are being published for acquisition on the Dutch Museum Association’s deaccession database.

The 2017 transfer agreement between the municipality of Delft and the Poppenspe(e)lmuseum included conditions for transfer. Upon transfer, the municipality of Delft must formally give permission to the Poppenspe(e)lmuseum.

Published until 23 December 2025