Shaky Ground: Context, Connoisseurship and the History of Roman Art (Debates in Archaeology)

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. Cover 1 Half Title 2 DEBATES IN ARCHAEOLOGY 3 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Acknowledgments 8 List of Figures 10 Introduction: Contradictions 12 Grounded and ungrounded 12 Resonance and wonder 18 1 Histories Modern and Ancient 24 A glimpse of the eighteenth century 24 An uncertain view of the ancient world 31 Clearer prospects 40 2 Indifference to Context 48 Chicken and egg 48 Inconsistent labels 55 Grounded and ungrounded, side by side 57 Grounded but now uncontextualized 60 Less is more 63 3 Lessons Learned and Not Learned 70 Authority and evidence 71 The constancy of style 75 Hypotheses built upon hypotheses 81 The art market 87 4 Connoisseurship and Class 92 Social art history 92 Circular logic 95 Empty niches 100 5 Red Herrings 110 Unknown unknowns 110 “From Egypt, exact provenance unknown” 114 Licit/illicit 116 Repatriation and recontextualization 120 Conclusion: Best Practices 130 A ripe moment 130 Prioritize archaeological context 132 Itemize epistemological data 139 Bibliography 142 Index of artworks and monuments 168 Index 171 "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."--Publishers website