THE STATUE OF CERES FROM THE ROYAL-UNIVERSITY COLLECTION OF PLASTER CASTS

Abstract

One of the more interesting collections of plaster prototypes, as yet not thoroughly studied, is the Warsaw collection of plaster casts. In the to-date studies it has been analysed from the perspective of history and history of art as a homogenous whole, a carrier of artistic culture. However, what is still missing are analyses focusing on basic facts as perceived by a museum curator, enabling identification of the objects composing the collection. The present paper aims at discussing the issues related to the identification of the works’ models and interpretation of works which come from university museums’ collections. The case study selected will concern one of the statues from the collection of the University of Warsaw. A detailed study of the cast of the goddess demonstrates how an analysis of one object can extend the knowledge of a whole museum collection. An accurate identification of the object and of its provenance allow us to better see custodians’ motivation for the selection of definite exhibits, and to enhance our understanding of how museum exhibits shape Polish culture and scholarship.