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Ruined square stone temple with a staircase and carved reliefs among leafy trees, fallen stones and people in front

Javanese Temple in Ruins

Raden Saleh

What you see

A square stone temple rises in a clearing, just left of center. Its walls are covered in reliefs, a staircase on the right climbs to a dark doorway, and the top has crumbled, with plants growing between the stones. Two large trees flank it; the one on the right lets long roots hang down. Fallen blocks lie in front, and a few people sit or stand nearby.

Sunlight bathes the temple front and the ground around it in gold, while the foreground stays in shadow. Big white clouds pile up behind, and on the right the land opens onto a plain with low mountains. Look for the lone palm on the right and the small group seated at the foot of the tree on the left.

About Raden Saleh

Raden Saleh was born around 1811 near Semarang, on Java, and was the first Javanese to be trained as a painter in the Western manner: he arrived in Europe in 1829 and lived there for about twenty years. A Romantic painter, he became famous for his dramatic scenes of wild animals and hunts, his Javanese landscapes and his portraits. His painting “The Arrest of Prince Diponegoro” has been part of Indonesia’s national heritage since 2014, and his house in Jakarta, inspired by a German castle, is now a hospital.

All 12 works by Raden Saleh

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