Lot Essay
Abram Salm spent twenty-nine years in Indonesia. His paintings from this period were copied by the celebrated nineteenth century lithographer J.C. Greive at the request of the publishers Buffa in Amsterdam. The latter two had regularly co-operated on major successful topographical works, but the quality and finish of the plates in Java naar schilderijen en teekeningen van A. Salm is generally held to be their greatest effort, and thus represents some of the finest ninenteenth century lithographic book illustrations to have been published in the Netherlands, causing them to be published from 1865 to 1872, and triggering its more recent facsimile edition. `Indeed they may be said to represent the highest point in the depiction of Indonesian topography by chromolithographic printing.', J. Bastin in the introductory essay of the facsimile edition of Java naar schilderijen en teekeningen van A. Salm, lid der koninklijke Akademie van Beeldende Kunsten te Amsterdam op Steen Gebracht door J.C. Greive, Jr., Singapore, 1971, p. 19. The views depicted include scenes at the Land Tjitrap at Buitenzorg, the Smeroe volcano at Pasoeroean, the Singahan waterfall at Rembang, the Pangka sugar factory at Tagal, the Land Tjiliboet at Buitenzorg, the Bay of Srigonjo at South Java, Anjer at the Street of Sunda, the Bromo volcano in 1856, the Solo river, the Kawaian mountains with the tabacco farm at Malang, the road from Buitenzorg to the Salakh valley, the Brantas river, a marriage ceremony in the Salakh valley, the Land Kedong Badak and the road to Buitenzorg, a village feast near Ardjoeno, Wenditt, the Tenger mountains and various other landscapes.