About the Author

Soedarmadji J. H. Damais is an independent scholar interested in Indonesian art, craft and architecture. He is one of the founders with the late Adam Malik (vice president of the Republic of Indonesia) of the Indonesian Ceramics Society in 1973. He is also a founder of the Wastraprema (Indonesian Society of Traditional Textiles) in 1976 and was active in various foundations and societies for the study and preservation of Indonesian art and craft. He was last the director of the Jakarta History Museum (1989--1999). His other books include Pusaka Art of Indonesia (Archipelago Press, 1992), Java Style (Editions Didier Millet, 1997), and Asian Furniture (Thames & Hudson, 2007).