Sidharta Collectibles Auction, Bogor, 18 November 2018
Collection of Dr. Sarwono (1913 - 2002) and Sophie Sarwono (1922-2016), prominent couple in Bogor
Sarwono (a surgeon and gynaecologist), his wife Sophie and their 7 children moved to Bogor from Tegal in 1959, when he was assigned to lead the Red Cross hospital (Rumahsakit PMI) in Bogor. In 1961 Dr. Sarwono bought the house at Papandayan from two brothers who had to return to their country of origin, China. The house at Jl. Papandayan 17, designed by architect Frederich Silaban, who later designed Istiqlal (the largest mosque in South-East Asia) in Jakarta, gives ample space to the entire family. The pavilion was used as a maternity clinic, where most of Sarwono’s grandchildren were born.
The house (in its original form) and its content have witnessed family Sarwono grow bigger and become older. The family is known as The Sars, because the names of the four sons begin with “Sar-”. Sarlito (the late prominent psychologist, 1944-2016) was the first born, while the others are Sarwanto, Sarsanto, and Sarsito. The house has strong sentimental value. It has hosted various events: weddings, birthdays, reunions, bazaars, seminars, as well as Idul Fitri celebrations. Sophie liked to organize meetings and parties in their big house. But sad events also happened in that house. Family and friends came there to pay their respect when Sarwono and Sophie passed away in 2002 and 2016, respectively.
Although Sarwono and Sophie did not consider themselves to be art collectors, they appreciated beautiful things. Her Dutch education taught Sophie to appreciate antiques and art works. Visiting museums when travelling overseas was one of her hobbies. She furnished her house with classic pieces made of durable quality materials. Friends who knew her interest in artistic items gave her unique birthday presents. Hendra Hadiprana, owner of an art gallery, for instance, gave Sophie Chinese zodiac statues on her birthdays, one each year.
Sophie liked Indonesian traditional textiles, especially batik. Since she got married in 1943 she wore the kain-kebaya every day. When she was over 70 years old she changed her attire with something more comfortable: blouse and sarung or long dress. Many of her batik pieces were inherited from her mother. Sophie’s favorite shop to buy batik was Sido Mukti in Jakarta.
Being aware of his wife’s keen interest in Indonesian art, one day in the 1950’s Sarwono surprised Sophie with an unexpected gift: a complete silver dining set. He presented the gift saying that he had bought the set with the money he would have spent on cigarettes for the rest of his life. Sarwono (a chain-smoker then) had decided to quit smoking overnight and he succeeded. A small part of the silverware was for the family’s daily use. For special guests Sophie used more of the silverware. Over the years more items have apparently been added to the collection, but most of them are hardly used.
In the early years of their stay in Bogor, Sarwono and Sophie got to know Ernst Dezentjé, a Dutch painter living in the area of Megamendung, Bogor. They visited each other, enjoying chatting in Dutch. Sarwono often visited Dezentjé at home, watched him painting the landscape or teaching his adopted son, Djupriani, to paint. Through his friendship with the artist, Sarwono learned to understand and appreciate paintings. When he saw a painting, he compared it with Dezentjé’s work. Sarwono and Sophie liked Dezentjé’s work and bought a few of them. The painting Pasar by Djupriani has attracted the couple, too. On the other hand, Dezentjé had given a couple of paintings to Sophie. As a medical doctor, Sarwono helped to maintain the condition of the aged and fragile artist who died in 1972 at the age of 87.
Sarwono and Sophie knew another painter, Abdul Aziz and his wife Mary (Northmore). In the 1990s they visited the painter in Ubud and enjoyed his work exposed in his gallery. Sarwono and Sophie felt honoured to receive a painting, Shopping from The Maestro. It is added to their collection of paintings.
Many of the collections from The Sarwonos’ Bogor house will be auctioned in Session I of Sidharta Auctioneer’s Collectibles auction on 18 November 2018 at Jl. Papandayan 17, Bogor.
The paintings from the property of The Sarwonos will be auctioned in Sidharta Auctioneer's Fine Art auction on 25 November 2018 at Tugu Kunstkring Paleis in Jakarta.
https://www.sidharta-auctioneer.com/pdfs/CT20181118.pdf
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