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Kassian Cephas
Black and white portrait of a man in the late years wearing a songkok hat
Kassian Cephas wearing the honorary gold medal of the Order of Orange-Nassau (c. 1905)
Born
Kassian

(1845-01-15)15 January 1845
Yogyakarta Sultanate
Died 16 November 1912(1912-11-16) (aged 67)
Yogyakarta Sultanate
Known for Photography

Kassian Cephas (born January 15, 1845 – died November 16, 1912) was a famous Javanese photographer. He worked for the royal family of the Yogyakarta Sultanate in Java, Indonesia. He was the first person from Indonesia to become a professional photographer.

Sultan Hamengkubuwana VI (who ruled from 1855 to 1877) asked for Cephas to be trained. By 1871, he became the official court photographer. He took many portraits of the royal family. He also took pictures for a Dutch group that studied old buildings. Cephas helped save Java's history through his photos. He was even given a special gold medal for his work. Kassian Cephas and his wife, Dina Rakijah, had four children. Their oldest son, Sem Cephas, continued the family's photography business.

Early life

Kassian Cephas was born in Yogyakarta, a city in Java. His parents were Kartodrono and Minah. When he was young, Cephas became a student of Christina Petronella Philips-Steven. She was a Christian missionary. He moved with her to a nearby town called Bagelen.

On December 27, 1860, when he was fifteen, he was baptized there. He chose the name Cephas, which means "Peter" in the Aramaic language. After this, he started using Cephas as his family name.

Photography career

COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Ruïne van een waterkasteel Taman Sari te Djokjakarta. TMnr 60004743
Taman Sari complex, part of the royal palace in Yogyakarta, around 1890.

When Cephas returned to Yogyakarta in the early 1860s, he started learning photography. His teacher was Simon Willem Camerik, who was also a photographer for the Sultan's court. Sultan Hamengkubuwana VI noticed Cephas's talent and asked for him to be trained. By 1871, Cephas was officially named the court painter and photographer.

Cephas's photography studio was on the second floor of his home in Yogyakarta. Besides taking portraits of people, Cephas also photographed many buildings and old monuments. For example, he took pictures of the Taman Sari Water Castle in 1884 for a respected Dutch society.

Professional works

COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Danseressen aan het hof van de Sultan van Jogjakarta TMnr 60046818
An old photo print of court dancers from a book by Groneman.

Cephas's photos first became widely known in 1888. They were in a book called In den Kedaton te Jogjåkartå by Isaäc Groneman. This book had 16 special photo prints of Hindu Javanese dances. Groneman wanted people in the Netherlands to learn about this culture. He asked Sultan Hamengkubuwana VII for permission for Cephas to photograph the dance scenes.

A Dutch institute first planned to publish the book. But it was too expensive to make the special photo prints. In 1886, Cephas bought a new camera. This camera could take pictures very quickly, in 1/400th of a second. This meant people didn't have to stay still for a long time. These photos were often given as gifts to important European visitors leaving Yogyakarta.

In 1889, a group called the Archaeological Union started to study and protect old Hindu Javanese buildings in Central Java. The Prambanan temple was one of their main projects. Cephas was asked to photograph the site. His oldest son, Sem, drew the plans of the buildings. Groneman sent Cephas's photos and notes to the Royal Institute in 1891. But it took until 1893 for them to be published because of the high printing costs. The final book included 62 photo prints of Prambanan and nearby temples.

COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Fotograaf Kassian Céphas bij de stupa's op de Borobudur TMnr 60005095
Cephas studying one of the 72 stupas at the Borobudur temple complex in 1890.

Cephas also photographed the famous Borobudur temple complex. Its hidden base was found in 1885. The base was uncovered briefly in 1890 to be photographed. Then it was covered again in 1891. Cephas did not get enough money from the government to take all the photos needed. He had planned to take 300 photos. Developing each photo plate took about half an hour. In the end, he took 160 photos of the base's reliefs (carvings). He also took four general overview photos of the site. These photos were published 30 years later in a collection by the Royal Institute.

International recognition

COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Waringinbomen langs de weg naar Fort Vredeburg in Jogjakarta TMnr 60027572
An old photo of the road to Fort Vredeberg, Jogjakarta.

After finishing the Borobudur project, Cephas was made a "special member" of the Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences. This was for his work as a photographer and for studying old buildings in the Indies. A few years later, he was asked to join the Royal Institute because of his work with the Archaeological Union. Cephas accepted this honor in 1896. Later that year, he photographed a visit by King Chulalongkorn of Thailand to Yogyakarta. The king gave him a special gift of three jeweled buttons.

Groneman and Cephas worked together one last time in 1899. They documented a big event celebrating Hamengkunegara III becoming Crown Prince of the Yogyakarta Sultanate. This event took a year and a half to prepare. A huge show lasted four days, with thousands of people watching each day. A special book about the show, covered in blue velvet, gold, and diamonds, was given as a wedding gift to Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Henry of the Netherlands in 1901. Later that year, on Queen Wilhelmina's 21st birthday, Cephas received an honorary gold medal of the Order of Orange-Nassau. This award was for his important work in showing and saving Java's cultural history.

Death and legacy

Cephas stopped working as a photographer when he was about 60 years old. His wife passed away in September 1911. Just over a year later, Cephas died at age 67 due to illness. The family's photography business ended a few years later when his son, Sem Cephas, died in a horseriding accident in 1918.

Kassian Cephas, his wife, and his son were all buried in Yogyakarta. Their graves were later moved in 1964 to make way for new buildings. Both Cephas and his son were skilled court photographers. However, Kassian Cephas was the most important. He was the first Javanese person, and the first person from Indonesia, to become a professional photographer.

Personal life

Cephas married Dina Rakijah (born 1846) on January 22, 1866. She was a Christian Javanese woman. They had one daughter and three sons: Naomi (born 1866), Sem (born 1870), Fares (born 1872), and Jozef (born 1881). They also had a son named Jacob who was born in 1868 but died the same year. Naomi married a Dutch engineer, Christiaan Beem, in 1882. They had thirteen children, and eight of them grew up to be adults. Cephas's oldest son, Sem, became a photographer and painter in his father's studio.

Gallery

  • KITLV 20027 - Kassian Céphas - Hamengkoe Buwono VII sultan of Yogyakarta, in court dress - Around 1885

    Hamengkoe Boewono VII, sultan of Yogyakarta, 1885

  • COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Pangeran Aria Boeminata broer van sultan Hamengkoe Boewono VII TMnr 60001463

    Pangeran Aria Boeminata, brother of sultan Hamengkoe Boewono VII

  • COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Ratoe Madoeretna dochter van sultan Hamengkoe Boewono VII TMnr 60001467

    Ratoe Madoeretna, daughter of sultan Hamengkoe Boewono VII

  • KITLV 3621 - Kassian Céphas - Sultan Hamengkoe Buwono VII walks arm in arm with the resident of Yogyakarta, C. M. Ketting Olivier on the occasion of Garebeg - Around 1894

    Sultan Hamengkoe Buwono VII walks with arms linked with the Dutch resident (governor) of Yogyakarta, C. M. Ketting Olivier. Garebeg, anniversary of the prophet Mohammed, around 1894

  • COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM De Lodjie Ketjilstraat te Djokjakarta. TMnr 60004733

    Lodjie Ketjilstreet, Yokyakarta

  • COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een wajang kulit voorstelling begeleid door een gamelanorkest TMnr 60009276

    Wajang kulit show accompanied by a gamelan orchestra

  • KITLV 10729 - Kassian Céphas - Studio picture of a young woman in dance pose from Yogyakarta - Around 1900

    Javanese dancer in court costume, studio around 1890

  • COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Hofdansers dansen een serimpi TMnr 10004653

    Court dancers performing a serimpi

  • KITLV 40158 - Kassian Céphas - An heirloom of the Sultan of Yogyakarta - Around 1895

    Pusaka (heirloom) of the court of Yogyakarta

  • KITLV 40147 - Kassian Céphas - A pajoeng from the craton of the Sultan of Yogyakarta - Around 1895

    Pajoen (umbrella) from the kraton of Yogyakarta (coloured)

  • COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een van de Rakshasa de tempelwachtersbeelden bij de noordelijke ingang van candi Sewu op Midden Java TMnr 60009666

    Temple guard sculpture at the northern entrance of candi Sewu, Mid Java

  • COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM De aan Brahma Shiva en Vishnu gewijde tempels op de Candi Lara Jonggrang oftewel het Prambanan tempelcomplex TMnr 60027217

    Prambanan temple complex, with temples for Brahma Shiva and Vishnu

  • COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Reliëf in het interieur van de tempel Tjandi Mendoet achterin rechts bij de ingang. TMnr 60004715

    Tjandi Mendoet temple, relief in the interior near the entrance

  • COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Reliëf O 123 op de verborgen voet van de Borobudur TMnr 10015860

    Borobudur Relief O 123

  • KITLV 12217 - Kassian Céphas - The photographer K. Céphas at the Buddha sculpture in Tjandi Mendoet - 1890

    Céphas near the Buddha sculpture in Tjandi Mendoet

See also

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