Netherlands returns colonial-era treasures to Sri Lanka

The Netherlands on Monday handed Sri Lanka the title deeds to six colonial-era treasures, including an 18th-century bronze cannon set in gold and silver, and encrusted with rubies, currently housed in the Rijksmuseum in 'Amsterdam.

During a ceremony at the Sri Lankan Ministry of Culture in Colombo, Dutch Deputy Culture Minister Gunay Uslu signed the documents certifying that Sri Lanka owns the objects, Sri Lankan officials said. The National Museum of Sri Lanka in return granted the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam the right to hold the treasures until they are transported to Colombo in December.

The first batch to be transferred to Sri Lanka includes the Lewke cannon, said to have been a gift from a Sri Lankan aristocrat, Lewke Disava, to the King of Kandy around 1745-46. This beautifully crafted cannon was seized by Dutch soldiers in 1765. After being displayed in the Netherlands, the cannon eventually ended up in the Rijksmuseum. The other items, two gold and silver swords, two guns and a knife, date back to when the island was part of the Dutch colonial empire, from 1658 to 1796.

The decision to return colonial-era artifacts to Sri Lanka and Indonesia follows recommendations from a Dutch government-appointed commission to investigate illegal Dutch acquisitions during the empire era. colonial. The commission was set up after Indonesia, a former Dutch colony, wanted to recover works of art and natural history collections.

Sri Lanka has also demanded the return of the treasures seized by the Dutch. The island was under Portuguese rule from 1505 to 1658, before falling under Dutch control, then in the British Colonial Empire before its independence in 1948.