The many officials of the Dutch East Indian Company who, during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, settled in Batavia (now Jakarta) developed a sophisticated living culture which fused both Eastern and Western Cultures. Although much of the silver from the Dutch East Indian Company has been lost over time, the Gemeentemuseum The Hague has a collection that in both quantity and quality is the largest in the world. This publication presents us with an attractive overview and insight on the history of one of the most representative expressions of the living culture in Batavia. AUTHOR: Titus M. Eliens is head Collections of the Gemeentemuseum The Hague and Professor of Applied Arts at Leiden University. He is a well-known author who specializes in domestic culture and design of the nineteenth and twentieth century. He has also a special interest in the material culture of East Indies and the Cape. ILLUSTRATIONS: 60 colour & 10 b/w