The World Heritage Site of Aksum represents one of Late Antiquity’s most impressive civilizations. Yet, the archaeological materials representing Africa's impressive ancient civilization are...Show moreThe World Heritage Site of Aksum represents one of Late Antiquity’s most impressive civilizations. Yet, the archaeological materials representing Africa's impressive ancient civilization are scattered across museums worldwide, with inadequate categorization, documentation, and ongoing research. Furthermore, the management of the Aksum World Heritage Site has consistently fallen short, as highlighted by both archaeological and ICOMOS reports. Its issues are fundamental and all-encompassing, ranging from urban encroachment and illicit excavating, to severe flood risks and destabilization of the site's iconic monuments. Additionally, political instability in Ethiopia has further hindered the preservation and recognition of Aksum's archaeological significance. This thesis aims to address these challenges by contributing to the study of Aksumite archaeology and proposing strategies to increase public awareness of the threatened Aksumite heritage. Firstly, this thesis endeavors to create a comprehensive overview of current historical, archaeological knowledge on ancient Aksum and its often overlooked Aksumite material collections, which have been dispersed due to Ethiopia's colonial history. By gathering and organizing this dispersed knowledge, the thesis seeks to shed light on the impressive materiality of ancient Aksum. Building on these findings, the research proposes a strategy to generate public outreach for Aksumite heritage by harnessing innovative digital technologies. By thoroughly researching the use of digital platforms, immersive experiences, and interactive tools, this thesis seeks to bridge the gap between the scattered material collections and the global heritage community, by aiming to make the Aksumite heritage more visible, accessible and interactive. By comprehensively addressing the issues of neglect, mismanagement, and lack of integration into global historical narratives, while simultaneously proposing practically applicable strategies towards effective heritage outreach, this research strives to revitalize the recognition and preservation of the Aksumite heritage. The thesis underscores the urgent need for concerted efforts to protect and showcase the Aksumite heritage before it remains forever hidden from modern science.Show less
Research master thesis | Arts and Culture (research) (MA)
open access
The Jarves Collection, the first collection of early Italian art in the United States, was created by James Jackson Jarves (1818-1888) in Florence in the 1850s, and brought to the USA in 1860...Show moreThe Jarves Collection, the first collection of early Italian art in the United States, was created by James Jackson Jarves (1818-1888) in Florence in the 1850s, and brought to the USA in 1860 hoping to create a “Free Gallery of Art.” Jarves presents medieval and Renaissance Florence as a democratic and religious model for the United States to emulate. The collection thus performed an educational function, literally carrying civilization – in the form of early Italian paintings – to the United States. Considering Jarves’s role within the history of American collecting and reception of Italian art, publications have focused on placing Jarves within the American history of collecting, while giving little thought to underlying structures in Jarves’s motivations and actions in assembling and promoting his collection. As Jarves presents history as a didactic and emancipatory model for the United States, this thesis asks what his stake was in presenting early Italian art as the model of civilization. Limited to the period from the early 1850s, when Jarves starts collecting, until 1871, when the collection was sold to Yale University, this thesis focuses on Jarves’s motivations, placed within contemporary trends. It is split into three parts: the first looks at the underlying structures that influenced the make-up of the collection; the second looks at Jarves's ideas as expressed through his writings, and at their connection to his collection. The final part looks at the Jarves's main aim for his collection: the creation of a national gallery of art for the education of the American public.Show less
This master’s thesis focusses on fake objects within a museum context. Theoretical and practical methods are combined to create a complete overview of both proposed views on fake objects as well as...Show moreThis master’s thesis focusses on fake objects within a museum context. Theoretical and practical methods are combined to create a complete overview of both proposed views on fake objects as well as the practical ways fake objects are handled within museums in order to compare theory and practice. Theoretical research focusses on the way authenticity can be determined in archaeological objects, display methods of fake objects, and views on how fake objects should be handled. Practical research took place in the National Museum of Antiquities in the Netherlands, here curators and the director of the museum were interviewed about their stance on fake objects. Would a known inauthentic object be displayed in exhibitions? What prerequisites would a fake object have to meet to be displayed? What ways of determining authenticity take priority? Are fake objects handled in any way different from authentic objects? The museum database has been thoroughly searched for fake objects and whether or not they are mentioned to be fake at all, and in the case that they are, in which category of the database they are indicated to be fake. During research, it was discovered that the use of the database is mostly unstructured which means that the term fake might be in any category. As a result, it was possible to deduce where the employees of the museum thought it was best to mention the object was fake. Comparison between the database within the museum and the one open to the public from the website of the museum also provided insight into how much of this information is available to people outside of the museum. This thesis shows there are some fundamental differences between how authentic objects, and those objects that are seen as inauthentic are handled within the museum. First and foremost, within the database.Show less
This study explores folk art through Elisabeth Houtzager’s collection of Native American folk art at the National Museum of Ethnology (NME) in Leiden, Netherlands. The Houtzager collection at the...Show moreThis study explores folk art through Elisabeth Houtzager’s collection of Native American folk art at the National Museum of Ethnology (NME) in Leiden, Netherlands. The Houtzager collection at the NME is comprised of circa 4,000 objects of folk art from around the world, and was acquired from Houtzager by the NME in 1993. Research began as part of an internship project held at the NME. The objects of focus comprise a sample of Native American Pueblo pottery and its makers from the Southwestern United States. During initial research of the collection, it became apparent that folk art is a relatively complex matter and occupies a unique position in the world of material culture. This thesis expands on the results of the internship, and seeks to answer questions primarily including: What motivated Houtzager to collect folk art so extensively? Why did the NME accept Houtzager’s large collection of folk art in 1993? In order to broach these questions, one must investigate: What is folk art, and how does it relate to other objects such as ethnographic artefacts and art? The concept of folk art eludes a concrete definition, and can be best understood by recognizing a conglomeration of interpretations. An examination of the Native American art market in 20th century Southwest United States reveals a host of dynamics that may have influenced individuals and institutions to collect objects like folk art. Changes in the lives and careers of the makers of the Pueblo pottery in Houtzager’s collection led to innovations, individuality, and competition in the folk art community in the American Southwest, and created the setting in which Houtzager was traveling, socialising, and thus influencing her purchases of folk art. Individuals collect objects for various reasons, whether as an obsession, a pursuit for a complete collection, an expression of identity, or a memento from events or souvenir from travels. Given the environment in which Houtzager collected, it may be speculated that her travels and personal connections with the pottery makers represented in her collection lent to feelings of nostalgia through the objects. On an institutional level, museums of all types including ethnology, art, folk art, natural history, serve a certain purpose to the collections, staff, and public. Choices in museum collecting are influenced by the interplay between these actors. Today, folk art can be found in many different types of museums. In this study, interviews with three curators from the NME with varied disciplinary backgrounds, reflected a variety of opinions of folk art, and its situation within the institutional setting of museums. With the already discussed indefinable aspect of folk art in mind, these current movements in museums of all types to collect or display folk art contributes to the story of folk art as an issue in the contemporary museum world.Show less
