Private Collections Research Articles

THE HISTORY OF SINO-RUSSIAN COMMUNICATIONS ON ANTHROPOLOGY: WITH THE EXAMPLE OF DONG TICHEN, THE FIRST CHINESE ANTHROPOLOGIST WHO STUDIED IN THE SOVIET UNION

Introduction. The centennial development of physical anthropology in China can be divided into three periods: 1) the initial period fr om the end of the 19th century to the founding of New China in 1949, when anthropology was imported from the West and gradually localized; 2) the unstable development period from 1949 to 1976, which was faced with a major restructuring of the discipline, the epoch of Sino-Soviet friendship, and a ten-year period of turbulence of the Cultural Revolution; 3) the period of rapid development after the reform and opening up of the country at the end of the 1970s. Materials and methods. The author presents the history of anthropological exchanges between China and Russia over the past hundred years through the study of literature and photographic sources. Results. Before the founding of New China, communications of anthropology between China and Russia was represented by S.M. Shirokogorov; after the founding of New China, it was represented by N.N. Cheboksarov; during the period of Sino-Soviet friendship, China adopted the suggestions of Soviet scientists and launched journals, translated and published monographs, and dispatched international students, Dong Tichen and Cui Chengyao, to study in the Soviet Union. Conclusion. In this article, for the first time, a large number of old photographs from private collections have been released to show the life story of Dong Tichen, the first anthropologist who went to the Soviet Union to study and returned to China. After graduating from Beijing Normal University, Dong Tichen went to Moscow University to study anthropology and obtained his Ph.D. in biology in 1961. He became a lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at Fudan University, wh ere he was one of the earliest teachers of anthropology in New China. His research was pioneering and prospective, for example, his proposed taxonomic position of the Gigantopithecus was very forward-looking; he created a precedent in the study of dermatoglyphics in China and contributed to the foundations of anthropometrics. His return solidified the discipline of anthropology at Fudan University, and during his short life he trained several students who would become the mainstay of anthropology in the new China in the future. Unfortunately, he died in 1966, as a result of social unrest and change.

DNA barcoding reveals a taxonomic fraud: Note on validity of Propomacrusmuramotoae (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae).

Until the early 2000s, the genus Propomacrus was known to comprise two species, occurring in the Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast China. The discovery of Propomacrusmuramotoae Fujioka in Tibet and subsequently in Bhutan and Nepal, might play a crucial role in bridging the geographical distribution gap of the Euchirini tribe between the Mediterranean and Central China, offering profound insights into its evolution and biogeography. However, all specimens, including the holotype specimen, were sourced from a single insect vendor, with no further specimens found or catalogued in museum collections thereafter. During our examination of a P.muramotoae specimen from a private collection in South Korea, we found its COI gene sequence to be identical to that of P.bimucronatus (Pallas) from Turkey, a species known for its wide distribution and genetic variability across regional populations. This overlap in genetic identity raised significant doubts, further compounded by our detection of deliberate modifications in essential diagnostic features during morphological examination. All three specimens we examined showed crude modifications, including staining and artificial grinding. Despite our inability to access the P.muramotoae type specimens for direct examination-a challenge we attempted to overcome through various means-it is evident that significant fraudulent tampering has occurred with the P.muramotoae specimens. Therefore, a new synonymy is proposed: Propomacrusbimucronatus Pallas, 1781 = P.muramotoae Fujioka, 2007 (syn. nov.). We also advocate for a straightforward verification of the type specimen through molecular analysis of the COI barcode region and morphological re-examination under a microscope for those who have access to the type specimens.

Cultural Property Protection in Private International Law

The armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine has brought the issue of protecting cultural property to the forefront. Numerous documented cases of illegal exports of cultural property from Ukrainian museums located in territories occupied by the aggressor country have emerged. In addition, little is known about the number of stolen objects from private collections, which are considered cultural artifacts. There are no statistics available on this matter. This paper aims to explore the problem of applicable law during the consideration of disputes regarding the protection of cultural property. The author examines the concept of cultural property restitution in private international law and different approaches and concepts for defining "restitution" and "return" of cultural values. It has been argued that the term “return of cultural property” should encompass a wider scope, including both the restitution of illegally exported cultural property and the return of cultural property that was legally in the possession of another state but was later repatriated to the original state as a gesture of goodwill. The author offers his definitions of these terms based on theoretical research, as well as an analysis of the domestic legislation of Ukraine and the UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Property of June 24, 1995. The paper also delves into the issues of conflict regulation of disputes involving cultural values. Both the issues of determining the right of ownership to and the problems associated with the protection of the right of ownership of cultural property in private international law are considered. The point of view that the conflict of laws rule lex originis (the law of the country from whose territory the cultural property was exported) should be applied in disputes regarding the return of cultural property from someone else's illegal possession is supported. The author concludes, based on a comparative analysis of laws on private international law, about the most appropriate mechanism for protecting the property rights of a bona fide purchaser in disputes over cultural property.

Actio de in rem verso

Abstract The provenance of many objects once part of the acclaimed Revd William MacGregor collection of Egyptian artefacts is unclear or unknown. Private collectors purchased pieces from the MacGregor collection when it was sold at auction in 1922, many of which eventually made their way into major museums around the world. Today, the provenance information attached to them can usually be traced back through the private owners only as far as MacGregor’s ownership and no further. Recent research has revealed more about MacGregor’s collecting habits, including the fact that Count Riamo d’Hulst was the supplier of MacGregor’s famous obsidian head. Based on a little-known court case in Egypt and previously unseen correspondence between MacGregor and the Swiss archaeologist Édouard Naville, this article sheds further light on the extent to which the count was MacGregor’s regular supplier. It will also demonstrate how this key buyer–seller relationship developed, and how it eventually deteriorated into enmity and legal wrangling.

Reading Wollstonecraft after Godwin’s Memoirs: Wollstonecraft in Circulating, Subscription, and Private Libraries, 1799–1842

ABSTRACT Following Mary Wollstonecraft’s death in 1798, her grieving husband William Godwin made public many of the details of Wollstonecraft’s highly unconventional life. The ensuing backlash seemed to ensure that Wollstonecraft’s major works ceased to be reprinted for a period of roughly forty years. This article contributes to efforts to revise narratives of Wollstonecraft’s early nineteenth century reception by asking how and where readers, in the absence of new editions, might have accessed the books themselves. A survey of 41 circulating and subscription library catalogues dated between 1799 and 1842 reveals that, despite scholarly assumptions otherwise, Wollstonecraft’s works remained widely available. Even when books left the library, they did not necessarily disappear, as a copy of Wollstonecraft’s Vindication of the Rights of Woman that moved from a circulating library into a private collection attests. Placing the information in these catalogues in conversation with what can be gleaned from this copy of the work, this article argues that the durability of the hand-press book complicates the narrative of Wollstonecraft’s posthumous reputation.

Roerich Heritage in Caucasian Culture

The article reveals the main periods and places of actualizing the Roerich heritage in the Caucasian culture. The study of Caucasian culture by the Roerich scholars in a historical perspective is presented in this context. The author attributes the Roerichs' acquaintance with Caucasian culture to the end of the 19th century and describes both the references to the Caucasus in the Roerichs' works and epistolary materials, revealing the most significant cultural treasures of the Caucasus, and Nicholas Roerich' artistic works on the Caucasian theme. The article presents an in-depth study of the Caucasus by two generations of the Roerich family, who promoted the idea of the special significance of the Caucasus for Russia. The author focuses on the places where Nicholas Roerich's paintings and art objects from the collection of the Roerich family are kept in private and museum collections in the Caucasus, Crimea and southern Russia. The Roerich family made a significant contribution to the study of Caucasian culture by making several trips to the Caucasus during the so-called "Russian" period of its existence. The article summarizes the interim results of the cultural, educational and exhibition project "The Roerichs and the Caucasus" organized by the St. Petersburg State Museum-Institute of the Roerich Family with the support of a number of cultural institutions and public associations of the Caucasus and St. Petersburg.

An updated checklist of the Hydradephaga of Switzerland (Coleoptera)

An updated checklist of the Swiss species of Hydradephaga (Dytiscidae, Gyrinidae, Haliplidae, Hygrobiidae, Noteridae) is presented and briefly discussed. A total of 139 species is retained as part of the Swiss fauna, while 53 species, which have been recorded in Switzerland in the past, are excluded from this list, either due to insufficient documentation or because their records were based on misidentified material. In contrast to previous works, the present study also provides, for the first time, distribution maps through an online map server for all Hydradephaga species in Switzerland, based on over 43,000 occurrences obtained from specimens held in museums and private collections, as well as literature data. The occurrences of the rarest species of Switzerland, as well as data on species erroneously cited in Switzerland, are presented and discussed.

Addressing Some Problems Related to Research on Mimbres Ceramics and their Iconography

The Mimbres Black-on-white ceramic tradition that flourished in the region centered in southwest New Mexico ca. AD 750-1130 offers the scholar an almost unrivaled corpus of iconography and has been the subject of many interpretative studies. Unfortunately, much of this research is compromised by the incorporation of vessels from both private and museum collections that lack provenience and provenance information. The publication of privately-held ceramics can increase their market value, and both categories potentially incorporate deceptive post-excavation modifications. Most Mimbres archaeologists have long been aware of this situation, but recent analytical and statistical studies have confirmed these claims. Additionally, the creation of the Mimbres Pottery Images Digital Database (MimPIDD) has made it easier for the researcher to investigate the provenience and provenance of known vessels. This paper argues for studying only vessels with full provenience and provenance, and it proposes a secure dataset thereof for future research.

SNP genotyping Dutch heritage apple cultivars allows for germplasm characterization, curation, and pedigree reconstruction using genotypic data from multiple collection sites across the world

The curation and preservation of Dutch apple germplasm depends on reliable accession level information. However, many accessions of Dutch heirloom apple cultivars maintained publicly by the “Centre for Genetic Resources, the Netherlands” (CGN) and privately by Dutch pomological societies lack information regarding true-to-typeness and pedigree ancestry. The aim of this study was to address this knowledge gap by genotyping 652 apple accessions maintained in the CGN collection and Dutch private collections, compare their genotypic information to each other and to a large database of apple cultivars from around the world to identify genotypic duplicates and pedigree relationships for the Dutch apple cultivars. Towards this aim, accessions were genotyped on the 20 K Illumina Infinium(R) apple SNP array and with 15 SSR markers. Each accession was assigned to a genotypic profile code (MUNQ codes, as used in previous studies) facilitating communication regarding genotypic duplicates. There were 211 (51.1%) genotypic profiles in the Dutch germplasm which were not identified in other germplasm collections. Private collections maintained many of these unique accessions, including important pedigree ancestors. The study identified a number of common pedigree ancestors of Dutch cultivars, such as ‘Herfst Bloem Soete’, ‘Huismanszoet’ (2), and ‘Reinette Rouge Étoilée’. The duplicate and pedigree reconstruction results and relevant literature descriptions were used to pomologically verify the identity of relevant accessions. The results of this study resolved identity disputes, helped to decide which accessions should be retained or included in the CGN collection, and benefited ongoing pomological studies in ancestry and provenance of traditional Dutch cultivars.

To receive and to give something back – director’s perspectives on public – private collaborations in Norwegian art museums

ABSTRACT The rapid growth of private museums, contemporary art, and the emergence of private collectors has changed public museums’ room for action and placed heightened pressure on museum directors worldwide. In recent years, Norway has witnessed a surge in extensive collaboration between publicly funded museums and private collectors. Based on qualitative interviews with eleven museum directors, this paper examines how they navigate and address criticism, challenges, and demands when collaborating with private actors, with a particular emphasis on private art collectors. Additionally, the study aims to uncover the opportunities that emerge from such collaborations. Findings reveal that public – private collaborations are seen as an inevitable solution for the future, driven by factors such as limited purchasing budgets, rising costs, and concerns about diminishing public support due to reliance on oil revenues. Despite facing challenges such as external criticism and collector demands, directors maintain an optimistic outlook regarding more public – private collaborations and advocate the opportunities they bring.

Color Plates, Material, and Condition: Hermann Krone’s Contributions to Lippmann Interferential Color Photography

Abstract Lippmann color photographs are among the rarest examples of early color photography in public and private collections worldwide. At the time, Hermann Krone was probably one of those who contributed most actively and with remarkable results to the Lippmann process. After general remarks about Krone’s work, this paper will describe more deeply his book about color photography focusing on the direct color process, the technology he practiced himself to accomplish interferential color, and the body of his Lippmann color photographs, which still exists today in major collections, and which has been recently examined by the author. With a focus on the work of Krone, the paper aims to give an overview of the variety of presentation forms of Lippmann color images in existence today and closes with information on the permanence and preservation of these early color photographic materials.

Dumitru Peicev. The tribute to art

Dumitru Peicev (19.05.1943–18.12.2023), a renowned figure in the field of fine art in the Republic of Moldova, professionally evolved during the 1960s, inspired by the traditions of the French and Romanian schools of painting from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. A significant influence on his artistic conceptions and aesthetic visions was played by master Mihail Grecu, one of the founders of the national school of painting, with whom Dumitru Peicev had a warm and fruitful collaboration. Throughout his artistic career, he manifested himself as a talented painter of thematic compositions, genre scenes, landscapes, still life, and portraits. Dumitru Peicev’s paintings are housed in the collections of the National Art Museum of Moldova, the Museum of Fine Arts in Razgrad, Bulgaria, the Art Museum in Ţelingrad, Kazakhstan, and in numerous private collections. A significant number of his works have been donated to the „Dumitru Peicev” Art Gallery in the city of Taraclia. Through his original creations, Dumitru Peicev contributed to the enrichment of the national cultural heritage, shaping a new chapter in the history of contemporary fine arts.

Exploring the Composition of Egyptian Faience

Egyptian Faience, a revolutionary innovation in ancient ceramics, was used for crafting various objects, including amulets, vessels, ornaments, and funerary figurines, like shabtis. Despite extensive research, many aspects of ancient shabti production technology, chemistry and mineralogy remain relatively understudied from the 21st to the 22nd Dynasty, belonging to a recovered 19th-century private collection. The fragments’ origin is tentatively identified in the middle Nile valley in the Luxor area. Our study focused on a modest yet compositionally interesting small collection of shabti fragments to provide information on the glaze’s components and shabti’s core. We found that the core is a quartz and K-feldspars silt blended with an organic component made of plastic resins and vegetable fibres soaked with natron. The studied shabti figurines, after being modelled, dried, and covered with coloured glaze, were subjected to a firing process. Sodium metasilicate and sulphate compounds formed upon contact of the glaze with the silica matrix, forming a shell that holds together the fragile inner matrix. The pigments dissolved in the sodic glaze glass, produced by quartz, K-feldspars, and natron frit, are mainly manganese (Mn) and copper (Cu) compounds. The ratio Cu2O/CaO > 5 produces a blue colour; if <5, the glaze is green. In some cases, Mg and As may have been added to produce a darker brown and an intense blue, respectively. Reaction minerals provided information on the high-temperature firing process that rapidly vitrified the glaze. These data index minerals for the firing temperature of a sodic glaze, reaching up to a maximum of 1050 °C.

A Preliminary Report on the Sanskrit Manuscript of the Uttaragrantha of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya

The discovery of the Schøyen–Virginia manuscript of the Uttaragrantha provides significant insights into the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya. This newly identified Sanskrit manuscript offers a fresh perspective on monastic law codes, contributing original Sanskrit terms previously known only through Tibetan and Chinese translations, thereby enhancing our knowledge of Sanskrit–Tibetan–Chinese Vinaya terminologies. Also, by adding itself as a new textual witness to the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, it demonstrates the complex textual history and underscores the potential multiplicity in the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya traditions or even the “Greater Sarvāstivāda” Vinaya traditions. Variations in chapter sequencing across extant versions of the Uttaragrantha suggest the possibility of the chapters originally existing as independent texts rather than as a collective, the Uttaragrantha. This article presents the latest findings on the Sanskrit manuscript fragments of the Uttaragrantha in the Schøyen Collection and the private collection, Virginia. Furthermore, it attempts to show the role of the S-V manuscript of the Uttaragrantha in improving our textual understanding of the Uttaragrantha and examining the potential multiplicity in the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya traditions.

Реституция и репатриация культурных ценностей: позитивистский подход бывших метрополий против подхода стран третьего мира к международному публичному праву

The article addresses the correlation between the mechanism of international legal regulation of restitution and repatriation of cultural heritage with the position of moral philosophy, exemplified by their voluntary return to countries of the Global South within the framework of the “metropolis-colony” model, aiming to restore historical justice in the context of cultural artifacts’ removal by former metropolises from former colonies’ territories. It highlights the problem of the current impossibility to recognize this process as a legal institution of international law due to the lack of a unified declared approach to solving the aforementioned issue. The article concludes by advocating for the necessity of consolidating the existing experience and developing a unified concept for the return of cultural heritage lost by previously colonial dependent states. It argues that the basis of restitution and repatriation lies not only in the moral paradigms of Western Europe and modern political interests but also in the preservation of global cultural heritage and the prevention of the voluntary restitution’s exploitation as a legitimate means of its transfer to private collections. This article delves into the intricacies of international legal frameworks surrounding the restitution and repatriation of cultural artifacts, juxtaposing the positivist stance of former colonial powers against the perspectives of nations from the Third World. It scrutinizes the ethical and political dimensions of governments’ attitudes towards their historical colonial past, examining various models of voluntary restitution within the national systems of the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany. The analysis underscores the imperative of synthesizing diverse approaches and crafting a cohesive strategy for returning cultural treasures to their rightful owners. Moreover, it emphasizes the multifaceted motivations underlying restitution efforts, emphasizing not only moral imperatives and modern political agendas but also the imperative of safeguarding the world’s cultural heritage and thwarting the exploitation of voluntary restitution as a conduit for the legitimization of cultural appropriation into private collections.

Seals from Ancient South Arabia: A Preliminary Analysis

Abstract There exists widespread evidence that the Near Eastern societies manufactured seals. However, among these, South Arabian seals remain largely neglected while performing various particularly revealing functions. For instance, the practice of sealing allowed for the explicit expression of ownership as well as the act of witnessing in legal matters. More broadly, seals were a means of articulating individual identities and reinforcing communal belonging. This paper is the first study on the seals of ancient South Arabia after the unpublished Ph.D. dissertation by Diana P. Wong (1999. “Stamp Seals of the Ancient Yemen.” Unpublished PhD diss., Berkely). It investigates a corpus comprising 85 published seals currently held in museums and private collections across three continents. After providing a brief survey of the region’s history, this article analyses the epigraphic and iconographic content carved on the corpus, offering some reflections on the typology and characteristics of the seals, as well as on the society of ancient South Arabia.

ANÁLISE DA INFLUÊNCIA DO COLONIALISMO CIENTÍFICO NA PALEONTOLOGIA BRASILEIRA

Analysis of the influence of scientific colonialism on Brazilian paleontology. Brazil has a vast territory, which implies an enormous paleontological potential, given that there are 31 huge sedimentary basins rich in new findings. Such richness attracts scientific colonialism that, consequently, leaves Brazilian fossil resources at the mercy of social, administrative and economic factors, which favor the removal of fossils for private collections and museums abroad. Those relics end up being out of the reach of Brazilian researchers, who lack study objects, as happened in the case of “Ubirajara jubatus”. Although Brazilian paleontology has access to many fossil resources, it remains in a deficit when compared with countries with a greater paleontology tradition, pervaded by scientific ethics limiting colonial issues. In this research, it is intended to investigate the means by which scientific colonialism exerted influence on Brazil’s paleontology. Keywords: Araripe Basin, Brazilian paleontology, Brazilian sedimentary basins, fossil traffic; scientific colonialism.

A Brief Report on the Research Regarding Incorporation of Authentic Art History Texts (19th – First Half of the 20th Century) into Foreign Language Teaching (Courses: “Foreign Language” and “English for Professional Communication”) Carried out at Sergey Andriaka Academy of Watercolor and Fine Arts

The scientific and methodological article focuses on authentic art history texts spanning from the second half of the 19th century to the first half of the 20th century. These texts serve as the foundation for the English teaching methodology tailored for students of Sergey Andriaka Academy of Watercolor and Fine Arts, an approach currently being developed by the author. The research is characterized by a certain degree of scientific novelty, as the majority of these texts are introduced into the educational curriculum of a higher art educational institution for the first time, thereby lending special relevance to the study.For a variety of reasons, the texts in question are of paramount importance for English language instruction. They offer a rich array of source materials to choose from. These include, among others: lectures on painting and sculpture, art masterclasses, catalogues of museum and private collections, artist biographies, academic journals, encyclopedias and dictionaries of painters. Original teaching materials are created on the basis of authentic texts in line with the educational needs of art students.

Review of B.I. Kuznetsov’s Private Collection in the Archives of Orientalists at the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences

The article describes scholarly and teaching activities of the Russian researcher of Tibet B.I. Kuznetsov (1931–1985) as well as his private collection of archival materials. The documents from the collection have been assessed and classified into three categories: 1. Scholarly works and their background (1965–1998): 2. Service documentation (1962–1985): 3. Materials from other people (1959–1979). In 1956, after graduating from the department of Chinese philology at the faculty of Oriental Studies at Leningrad University, Bronislav Ivanovich joined a Ph.D. program and began studying the Tibetan language first under V.S. Vorobyov-Desyatovsky (1927–1956) and later under B.I. Pankratov (1892–1979). During his postgraduate Ph.D. studies, he also started to teach the Tibetan language at the faculty of Oriental Studies. Some details of his scholarly and teaching activities have been mentioned in his letters to R.E. Pubaev (1928–1991). The life of B.I. Kuznetsov, a teacher and researcher of Tibetan studies, is of a great interest to scholars as an integral part of the historical development of Tibetan studies in Russia.

Surveillance capitalism and the surveillance state: a comparative institutional analysis

AbstractWhat is the connection between mass surveillance and institutions of individual agency, freedom, and self-governance? Recent literature on “surveillance capitalism” argues that, over the past two decades, the capitalist Big Tech companies have commodified personal data for profit. This commodification goes beyond gathering information to improve the products provided by the collecting organization directly and entails using data to predict what people will do, the sale of that data, and its use to modify the behaviors of unknowing consumers. According to critics, this erodes individual dignity and freedom while also threatening democracy. This paper offers an alternative framing of surveillance and data collection based on comparative institutional analysis. While data collection and attempts at persuasion are present in private and government settings, the welfare effects vary due to institutional differences. We leverage the comparative institutional framework to analyze the differences between private data collection (“surveillance capitalism”) and government data collection (the “surveillance state”). Our analysis sheds light on how data collection in the private, for-profit sector has different welfare consequences from those in the surveillance state.