Description

“A Ronggeng or dancing Girl”

William Daniell's original watercolour design for the aquatint in Sir Stamford Raffles “The History of Java” (1817)

The most iconic image of Indonesian culture

Watercolour (acquarel), background in grisaille

40.5 x 29.5 cm, London, 1816-1817

Mounted on contemporary blueback cardboard

William Daniell (1769-1837)

William Daniell was an English landscape and marine painter, and printmaker, notable for his work in aquatint. He travelled extensively in India and the East Indies in the company of his uncle Thomas Daniell, with whom he collaborated on one of the finest illustrated works of the period – Oriental Scenery. It made him one of the most celebrated artists and member of the Royal Academy of Art.

Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles (1781-1825)

Sir Thomas Raffles was Lieutenant-Governor of the Dutch East Indies from 1811-1816, during the Napoleontic occupation of the Netherlands. During his appointment, Raffles went to great length in documenting Java’s history, culture, architecture and civilization.

After his return to London in 1816, he wrote The History of Java within a year, a book in two volumes for which he had collected innumerable artefacts of Javanese history and culture. A total of 900 copies were published in May of 1817 by the East India Company’s booksellers, Black, Parbury & Allen, and John Murray. What made the book unprecedented at the time was its inclusion of sixty-six plates. Ten of these plates, illustrating Javanese life and costume, are colored aquatints executed by William Daniell, represented Raffles’ extensive interest in ethnography.

When Raffles returned to England, he sought a trained engraver capable of converting the pen and ink sketches, wooden models and cloth samples into suitable prints. Since its original publication in 1817, Raffles’ book been distinguished by its exceptional illustrations. William Daniell was commissioned to illustrate The History of Java because of his reputation as an expert on the Orient and because of his experience in the field of color aquatinting. As Bastin and Brommer note, “Daniell was at this period the recognized master of colored aquatinting of Asian topography and costume, his craft having been perfected between 1795 and 1808 when he was working with his uncle on the large English color plate book on India, Oriental Scenery.” He was the greatest aquatint engraver of his time, and the aquatint plates of Javanese costume which he executed for Raffles' book are minor masterpieces in themselves, together representing a revolutionary step forward in the pictorial depiction of the people of Indonesia. The plates continue to be frequently re-issued as icon illustrations for Indonesia.

Among books on Indonesia, Raffles’ book holds a unique position. It is considered, to the present day, a highly important work particularly because of its accuracy in terms of pictorial depictions of Javanese costume and topography. There had been many books on Java, but all with very little information concerning Indonesian culture, customs or history.

Most historians agree that Raffles’ illustrations are based upon his own observations and collections. Like other books published in England on this subject, the goal of Raffles’ book was to explore and portray Indonesia’s customs and cultures with the utmost exactitude. Most statements in Raffles’ The History of Java describe the Javanese in a favorable manner. As a result, his perceived objective in writing The History of Java, as John Bastin suggests, was “prompted by sincere humanitarian motives.”

“A Ronggeng or dancing Girl”

The image is one of the most famous symbols for Indonesian culture. The aquatint print follows the artist watercolour design, with a few adjustments and beautifications, notably the background scene, the earring, and the hair decorations. For the verbatim description of this plate in The History of Java see Appendix A.

Ronggeng (from Wikipedia)

Ronggeng is a type of Javanese dance in which couples exchange poetic verses as they dance to the music of a rebab or violin and a gong. Ronggeng might have originated from Java in Indonesia, but also

can be found in Sumatra and the Malay peninsula.

Ronggeng probably has existed in Java since ancient time, the bas reliefs in Karmawibhanga section on 8th century Borobudur displays the scene of travelling entertainment troupe with musicians and female dancers. In Java, a traditional ronggeng performance features a traveling dance troupe that travels from village to village. The dance troop consists of one or several professional female dancers, accompanied by a group of musicians playing musical instruments: rebab and gong. The term "ronggeng" also applied for the female dancers.

During a ronggeng performance, the female professional dancers are expected to invite some male audiences or clients to dance with them as a couple with the exchange of some tips money for the female dancer, given during or after the dance. The couple dances intimately and the female dancer might perform some movements that might be considered too erotic by standard of modesty in Javanese court etiquette. In the past, the erotic and sexual nuance of the dance gave ronggeng a shady reputation as prostitution disguised in the art of dance.

Ronggeng is closely related to Sundanese Jaipongan dance.

Thomas Stamford Raffles, The History of Java, Vol I, Chapter VII

But the common dancing girls of the country, who appear to approach more nearly to the usual dancing girls of Western India, are called róng'geng, and are generally of easy virtue. They make a profession of their art, and hire themselves to perform on particular occasions, for the amusement of the chiefs and of the public. Though to be found in every principal town, their performance is most highly esteemed in the western, and particularly among the rude mountaineers of the Súnda districts, where the superior graces of the bedáya [dance] are unknown. Here they are constantly engaged on every occasion of festivity, and the regents frequently keep the most accomplished in their service for years. Their conduct is generally so incorrect, as to render the title of róng'geng and prostitute synonymous; but it not unfrequently happens, that after amassing considerable wealth in the profession, they obtain, on account of their fortune, the hand of some petty chief. In this case, they generally, after a few years retirement and domestic quiet, avail themselves of the facility of a divorce, and repudiating their husbands, return to their former habits. The róng'gengs accompany the dance with singing, the words being generally extempore to the music of the gámelan saléndro and pélog. Their dress is coarse, but in other respects resembles that of the more select dancers. They do not, however, wear any tiara on the head, nor armlets; bracelets are only worn occasionally. Their hair is dressed after a peculiar fashion, abundantly oiled, and ornamented with flowers of various kinds. They sometimes exhibit singly and sometimes in groups, following and approaching each other, or receding at pleasure. They perform at any time of the day, but chiefly in the evening, and endeavour to exhibit their best attitudes round a lamp which hangs suspended. Generally speaking, both their action and their song are rude and awkward, and on that account often disgusting to Europeans, although there are some among them whose performance does not deserve to be so considered. Their action is usually distorted, their greatest excellence seeming to consist in bending the arms and hands back in an unnatural manner, and giving one or two of the fingers a tremulous motion. The voice, though sometimes harmonious, is often loud, dissonant, and harsh to a European ear. They generally have a handkerchief thrown over the shoulder, and usually a fan in their hand, which occasionally serves to conceal one half of the face, not so much out of any affectation of bashfulness, as, in the manner of a huntsman, to assist the louder tones of the voice. At other times it is employed to strike against the back of the arm, so as to give a greater effect to different parts of the action and music. Generally speaking, the róng'gengs do not descend to the performance of those disgusting and disgraceful postures and motions, which are stated to be so frequent on the continent of India, but they are not free from the charge of impropriety in this respect. Their song, though little esteemed and less understood by Europeans, sometimes possesses much humour and drollery; and in adapting their motions to the language, they frequently excite loud bursts of laughter, and obtain great applause from the native audience.

The nobles of the highest rank are accustomed, on particular occasions of festivity, to join in the dance with a róng'geng. To dance gracefully, is an accomplishment expected in every Javan of rank; and in the western districts, particularly, all the chiefs are, on days of festivity, accustomed to join in the exercise, one after the other, commencing with the youngest. On these occasions, the nobles of the highest class vie with each other in pointing the toe with grace, in exhibiting elegance of movement, in displaying adroitness by intricate evolutions, or beauty of person by an ingenious management of attitude. So devoted are they to this exercise, that although their wives and daughters never dance, the happiness of a festive occasion is considered incomplete, where an opportunity is not afforded to the chiefs themselves of introducing their favourite amusement. In the Súnda districts, there are some individuals distinguished as regular posture or dancing-masters.

It is not unusual for the performances of the róng'gengs to be varied by the action of a fool or buffoon. Mimicry is a favourite amusement, and beside imitating, in a ludicrous manner, the actions of the róng'gengs, there are not wanting performers of this description, who occasionally direct their wit against all classes of society, and evince a considerable degree of low humour.

These are the only public exhibitions of the female sex; but the posture dances by the men are numerous, and contribute to the state of the sovereigns and chiefs.

Literature

Bastin, John and Bea Brommer. Nineteenth Century Prints and Illustrated Books of Indonesia. Antwerp: Het Spectrum Utrecht, 1979.

Mault, Natalie. Java as a Western construct: an examination of SirThomas Stamford Raffles' "The History of Java", Louisiana State University, 2005.

Raffles, Thomas Stamford. The History of Java. 2 Vols. John Murray, London, 1817.

Van der Putten, Jan. “‘Dirty Dancing’ and Malay anxieties: The changing context of Malay Ronggeng in the first half of the twentieth century.” Sonic Modernities in the Malay World:

A History of Popular Music, Social Distinction and Novel Lifestyles (1930s – 2000s), edited by Bart Barendregt, Brill, LEIDEN; BOSTON, 2014, pp. 113–134. JSTOR,

www.jstor.org/stable/10.1163/j.ctt1w8h0zn.7.

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William Daniell (1769–1837)

William Daniell was one of the most accomplished and prolific landscape and marine painters of the Romantic era in Britain. Renowned for his finely detailed depictions of coastal scenes and exotic locales, Daniell’s art served not only aesthetic purposes but also functioned as visual documentation of Britain's expanding empire. His unique career spanned from Indian courtly grandeur to the rugged coastlines of Scotland, and his works combined the sensibilities of the picturesque with the observational rigor of a traveler-artist. Among his many accomplishments, his illustrations for Sir Stamford Raffles’ History of Java stand out as a testament to his ability to translate unfamiliar Eastern settings into compositions both faithful and appealing to European audiences.

Early Life and Training

William Daniell, born in 1769 in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, was an English landscape and marine painter and printmaker renowned for his mastery of aquatint. His early life was marked by tragedy when his father, a bricklayer and publican, died in 1779. Orphaned at ten, William was sent to live with his uncle, Thomas Daniell (1749–1840), a landscape painter with a passion for Orientalist themes. This pivotal moment shaped William’s future, as Thomas became both guardian and mentor, introducing him to the world of art.

At fifteen, William accompanied Thomas on a transformative journey to India (1785–1794), serving initially as an assistant. During this near-decade-long expedition, William honed his skills in sketching and aquatint, a delicate printmaking technique ideal for capturing atmospheric effects. The duo traveled extensively across the Indian subcontinent, documenting its landscapes, architecture, and cultures with a camera obscura. William kept a detailed diary of their travels, now housed in the British Library, which provides a vivid record of their experiences. By the time they returned to London in 1794, William had evolved from apprentice to equal partner, his artistic abilities refined by the rigors of their journey.

Artistic Career and Oriental Scenery

Upon returning to England, William and Thomas settled at 37 Howland Street, Fitzroy Square, and embarked on their magnum opus, Oriental Scenery (1795–1808). This ambitious six-part series, comprising 144 colored aquatints, showcased India’s landscapes, temples, and daily life with unprecedented detail. William’s aquatint expertise brought vividness to the scenes, earning praise for their fidelity and artistry. The project, costing £210 per set, was a commercial and artistic triumph, with thirty sets purchased by the East India Company. The Calcutta Monthly magazine lauded the work’s “masterly execution” and its ability to evoke the “warmth of an Indian sky.” Oriental Scenery not only popularized a romanticized vision of India but also influenced British decorative arts and architecture.

William entered the Royal Academy Schools in 1799, exhibiting 168 works—mostly landscapes—between 1795 and 1838. His paintings often diverged from his uncle’s focus on broad landscapes, favoring intimate scenes of people by water or imaginative Oriental motifs. He became an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1807 and a full Royal Academician in 1822, a testament to his growing stature.

Illustrations for The History of Java

In 1817, William Daniell contributed significantly to Sir Stamford Raffles’ The History of Java, a seminal work on Indonesian culture and history. Raffles, Lieutenant-Governor of Java (1811–1816), aimed to contrast British benevolence with Dutch colonial policies. The first edition, published in 900 copies, included 66 plates, ten of which were hand-colored aquatints by William depicting Javanese life, costumes, and a Papuan boy who accompanied Raffles to England. These unsigned plates, attributed to Daniell for their stylistic resemblance to his work, captured the vibrancy of Javanese culture with meticulous detail. The second edition (1830–1844) expanded to 92 plates, incorporating additional Javanese antiquities and topography, many credited to Daniell.

Daniell’s illustrations, such as A Ronggeng or Dancing Girl and A Peng’anten Lanang or Bridegroom, were celebrated for their ethnographic precision and picturesque qualities. Art historian Dr. Sarah Tiffin noted that Daniell’s depiction of a Dieng Plateau temple, adapted from Dutch drawings, introduced lush foliage to evoke the transient nature of human achievement, aligning with British imperial narratives. The aquatints’ vivid colors and intricate details made The History of Java a masterpiece, with bibliographer John Bastin calling it “one of the most important and influential books about Indonesia ever published.”

A Voyage Round Great Britain

Around 1813, William embarked on another monumental project, A Voyage Round Great Britain (1814–1825), a visual chronicle of Britain’s coastline. Traveling in six-month stages due to weather, he collaborated initially with writer Richard Ayton, whose prose complemented William’s aquatints. After parting ways in 1814, William completed the journey alone, producing sketches that he later refined in London. The project, spanning a decade, resulted in eight volumes of aquatints renowned for their atmospheric depth and maritime detail. Works like Mivagissey, Cornwall and Dover, from Shakespeare’s Cliff showcased his ability to capture the sublime beauty of Britain’s shores. This endeavor, considered his greatest artistic legacy, demonstrated his remarkable memory and dedication, as some prints were completed years after the initial sketches.

Later Life and Legacy

William’s later years were marked by continued productivity. He engraved plates for his brother Samuel’s Sketches of Southern Africa (1820) and produced 72 etchings for George Dance’s A Collection of Portraits (1804–1814). His marine paintings, such as The Burning of the “Kent”, highlighted his skill in depicting dramatic seascapes. Joseph Farington, a friend and fellow artist, noted William’s relentless work ethic, reportedly laboring from 6 a.m. to midnight for seven years to perfect his craft.

William Daniell died in 1837, leaving a legacy of technical brilliance and cultural documentation. His aquatints for Oriental Scenery, The History of Java, and A Voyage Round Great Britain remain benchmarks of early 19th-century printmaking. By blending artistic skill with ethnographic and topographical precision, Daniell not only captured the landscapes and peoples of his time but also shaped Britain’s visual understanding of its empire and its own shores.