Ethnography · 20th century
€ 240
One of a kind: this is the sheet in the photographs. Ships from Langweer, the Netherlands.
Very good for age. Light foxing and toning in outer margins, not affecting the finely detailed image area. Deep plate impression visible. Full margins preserved.
Chinese Temple Interior — Medan, Sumatra (c.1910)
An exceptional original photogravure by G.R. Kleingrothe, Medan, capturing the richly decorated interior of a Chinese temple in North Sumatra around 1895. This detailed scene reveals intricate carved woodwork, ancestral altars, hanging lanterns, painted wall panels, and ceremonial furnishings — a rare visual record of Chinese religious heritage in the Dutch East Indies during the late 19th century.
Chinese communities played a vital cultural and economic role throughout Sumatra, and temples like this served as social, spiritual, and organizational centers for immigrants and local-born Chinese alike. The clarity and scale of the image allow close inspection of iconography and craftsmanship that has often disappeared due to modernization, relocation, or wartime destruction, making this print historically valuable.
The large sheet size and strong composition offer a powerful decorative presence. Collectors of Southeast Asian heritage, overseas Chinese history, colonial-era architecture, and early art photography will find this a notable and elegant piece.
Condition: Very good for age. Light foxing and toning in outer margins, not affecting the finely detailed image area. Deep plate impression visible. Full margins preserved.
Framing suggestions: Archival mount in soft cream with a dark wood or lacquered frame to complement the ornate temple interior details. Works beautifully hung together with the matching river-view temple sheet as a pair.
Technique: Photogravure
Maker: G.R. Kleingrothe, Medan, Sumatra (c.1910)
