|
Showing 1 - 3 of
3 matches in All Departments
The recent crisis in the world of antiquities collecting has
prompted scholars and the general public to pay more attention than
ever before to the archaeological findspots and collecting
histories of ancient artworks. This new scrutiny is applied to
works currently on the market as well as to those acquired since
(and despite) the 1970 UNESCO Convention, which aimed to prevent
the trafficking in cultural property. When it comes to famous works
that have been in major museums for many generations, however, the
matter of their origins is rarely considered. Canonical pieces like
the Barberini Togatus or the Fonseca bust of a Flavian lady appear
in many scholarly studies and virtually every textbook on Roman
art. But we have no more certainty about these works'
archaeological contexts than we do about those that surface on the
market today. This book argues that the current legal and ethical
debates over looting, ownership and cultural property have
distracted us from the epistemological problems inherent in all
(ostensibly) ancient artworks lacking a known findspot, problems
that should be of great concern to those who seek to understand the
past through its material remains.
The recent crisis in the world of antiquities collecting has
prompted scholars and the general public to pay more attention than
ever before to the archaeological findspots and collecting
histories of ancient artworks. This new scrutiny is applied to
works currently on the market as well as to those acquired since
(and despite) the 1970 UNESCO Convention, which aimed to prevent
the trafficking in cultural property. When it comes to famous works
that have been in major museums for many generations, however, the
matter of their origins is rarely considered. Canonical pieces like
the Barberini Togatus or the Fonseca bust of a Flavian lady appear
in many scholarly studies and virtually every textbook on Roman
art. But we have no more certainty about these works'
archaeological contexts than we do about those that surface on the
market today. This book argues that the current legal and ethical
debates over looting, ownership and cultural property have
distracted us from the epistemological problems inherent in all
(ostensibly) ancient artworks lacking a known findspot, problems
that should be of great concern to those who seek to understand the
past through its material remains.
|
|
Email address subscribed successfully.
A activation email has been sent to you.
Please click the link in that email to activate your subscription.