The painting depicts the capture of Prince Diponegoro, a Javanese noble and major leader in the Java War, by Lieutenant GeneralHendrik Merkus de Kock on 28 March 1830. The arrest is portrayed from a Dutch colonial perspective, with Diponegoro abandoning his followers and submitting peacefully to a confident De Kock as the Dutch flag flies high above the lieutenant general's home. Diponegoro stands a step below De Kock, who is pointing towards the carriage which will take the guerrilla leader into exile. Diponegoro's soldiers leave their weapons on the ground, following their leader's submission; some throw themselves to the ground in front of him. All appear submissive to the Dutch power, in what the art historianWerner Krauss describes as recognition that "de Kock's stern action is for the best of the Javanese, and that poor General de Kock had no choice but to send Pangeran Diponegoro away, just like a loving father has to send a misguided son away in order to teach him a valuable lesson". This oil painting on canvas measures.
History
Diponegoro, a descendant of the Sultans of Yogyakarta, was passed over several times for ascension to the throne. In 1825, after declaring himself Ratu Adil and his enemies infidels for their lax practice of Islam, he began a war against the reigning sultan and the Dutch colonial government. In the five-year struggle that followed, which was waged over much of central Java, over 200,000 Javanese and 15,000 Dutch soldiers were killed. On 28 March 1830, with most other guerrilla leaders captured, Diponegoro was invited to come to Lieutenant General De Kock's home in Magelang to negotiate an end of hostilities and guaranteed safety of passage. There, after three hours, Diponegoro was arrested. He was exiled to Makassar, Sulawesi, where he remained until his death. The Submission of Prince Dipo Negoro was commissioned by De Kock or his family. The artist, Nicolaas Pieneman, never went to the Dutch colony in the Indies, and thus it is unclear upon what he based his depictions of the area around De Kock's home, or the faces and other physical features of those depicted. Indeed, the Javanese soldiers appear more Arabian than indigene. It is possible that Pieneman was inspired by sketches by De Kock or his adjunct, Major Francois Victor Henri Antoine Ridder de Stuer. , by Raden Saleh This painting was held by the De Kock family, until it was donated to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam on 29 January 1907 by F.L.W. de Kock. Between 1 December 1993 and 31 March 1994, it was part of an exhibition of colonial art in Harderwijk. In 2014, it was on display in Room 1.17 of the Rijksmuseum. Diponegoro's capture is the subject of another painting, The Arrest of Pangeran Diponegoro'' by the Javanese nobleman Raden Saleh, which was completed in 1857 and presented to King William III. Opposed to the submissive and beaten Diponegoro of Pieneman's painting, Saleh depicts him as an angry and defiant man who is struggling to control his emotions, on par with or even having more power than De Kock, who is positioned on the left or "female" side. The author Susie Protschky describes both Pieneman and Saleh's works as "two of the best known history paintings from the Indies".
