Antiquities at Auction

Researching Provenance and Collection Histories

Anna Reeve (Editor)

Series: Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies Supplements

Published in association with: Institute of Classical Studies, University of London

More than ever before, museums and their audiences want to know where their collections came from and how they arrived at the museum. Many museum collections of antiquities include objects which passed through auction houses on their post-excavation journeys – a key moment when an object comes into view, and is described, valued and changes hands. Historical auction catalogues provide a record of this moment and are a vital source for exploring and understanding the histories of collections. Their data can also reveal broader trends in the flows of objects, and the key players – both buyers and sellers – in different periods.

This volume explores the potential and pitfalls of working with historical auction catalogues to examine the histories of collections of antiquities. It brings together thirteen contributors who provide insights into their approaches to researching provenance, markets and collection histories, and the successes and challenges of these investigations. The chapters share case studies and methodological approaches to identifying, gathering and working with nineteenth- and twentieth-century auction catalogues, overcoming or compensating for their limitations and using them to generate and answer new questions. Through illuminating the histories behind current collections of antiquities and the practices of collectors, the volume addresses themes that are critical to the challenges facing museums today and signposts areas for future exploration.

Introduction: Approaching provenance and collection histories through historical auction catalogues
Anna Reeve
Part I: Collectors and collections
1 The Shugborough Hall antiquities and the 1842 sale
Alexandra Atkins
2 Unveiling the Lewes House collection of antiquities: tracing Edward Perry Warren’s footsteps in auction catalogues
Ilaria Trafficante
3 Munich connections and antiquities collections: Paul Arndt and the auction catalogues of Galerie Hugo Helbing
Fabian Gapp, Georg Gerleigner and Corinna Reinhardt
4 A microcosm of the market: provenance and collecting at the 1906 Rustafjaell sale
Ken Griffin
5 The use of auction catalogues to enhance museum research on collections of classical antiquities
Georgina Muskett
Part II: Methods and approaches
6 The auction catalogue as a space of affective encounter: Henry Wellcome, auction acquisitions and the legacy of archival remains
Zoë Varley
7 Coin auction catalogues: an invaluable resource for ancient numismatic research
Sebastiano Paolo Maltese
8 Means of the market: catalogued and non-catalogued antiquities sales in London and Athens
Nicholas Salmon
9 Zoom out / zoom in: Egyptian objects at auction in the West, 1890–1953
Tom Hardwick
10 The big picture: auction sales of Cypriot antiquities in London 1848–1948
Anna Reeve
11 The half of knowledge: illuminating provenance research methods and challenges through experiential pedagogy
Jacquelyn H. Clements

PDF: 9781911507666

Hardback: 9781911507635 / 312 pages / 250mm x 173mm

Paperback: 9781911507642 / 312 pages / 244mm x 170mm

Anna Reeve (Editor)

Dr Anna Reeve’s research explores the history of Cypriot archaeology, collecting and display in the UK. She has published on the itineraries of antiquities in Cyprus and the UK in the 19th and 20th centuries, and on ancient Cypriot collections in UK museums. She is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Classical Studies, University of London, and teaches Classics as an Associate Lecturer at the Open University.

Subject: Classical Studies, History, Social and Cultural History

BISAC codes: ART059000, HIS002000, HIS037060

Thema codes: GLZ, NHA, NHC

Keywords: Classical world, antiquities, art markets, artefacts, auction sales, catalogues, collections, historical records, museums, provenance