Acquiring Cultures : Histories of World Art on Western Markets

As more parts of the world outside Europe became accessible =– and in the wake of social and technological developments in the 18 th century – a growing number of exotic artefacts entered European markets. The markets for such objects thrived, while a collecting culture and museums emerged. This book provides insights into the methods and places of exchange, networks, prices, expertise, and valuation concepts, as well as the transfer and transport of these artefacts over 300 years and across four continents. The contributions are from international experts, including Ting Chang, Nélia Dias, Noëmie Etienne, Jonathan Fine, Philip Jones, Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie, Léa Saint-Raymond, and Masako Yamamoto. Acknowledgements Contents Acquiring Cultures and Trading Value in a Global World Depatriated Objects Embedded Markets Transaction and Translation Colonial Iconoclash Shopping China in Europe Marketing Objects Trading Places A New ‘Eldorado’ Selling Authenticity Australian Ethnographica in European Collections Obscure Objects of Desire Mathias Komor and the Market for African Art in New York Global Players Christophe-Augustin Lamare-Picquot and the Fate of his Collection Emile Guimet’s Network for Research and Collecting Asian Objects (ca. 1877–1918) Innovative Trading Strategies for Japanese Art Dealing with War The Power of Provenance Notes for a Long-Term Approach to the Price History of Brass and Ivory Objects Taken from the Kingdom of Benin in 1897 Bibliography Biographies Picture Credits Index Depatriated objects / Winani Thebele -- Trading places / Manuel Charpy -- Australian ethnographica in European collections / Philip Jones