What Archival Records Do or Do Not Say: The Destruction of Plaster Casts in Geneva
-
Clara Bolle-Fivaz
Abstract
Geneva hides one of the most important plaster cast collections of Frenchspeaking Europe, divided into two groups that together encompassed, at their high point, more than 3,500 casts and many of the corresponding molds. One group comprises a study collection that was established in the second half of the 18th century by the Arts Society of Geneva, and the other was a workshop, founded in the late 19th century for the School of Industrial Arts. Both collections have experienced tumultuous fates as a result of societal and political changes, and many plaster casts were discarded in the process. An analysis of the ways in which their destruction was documented or omitted by the archival records provides insight into various aspects of curatorial practices of plaster cast collections from the 18th century to the present day. Archival records highlight how poor storage conditions and frequent moves affected the state and preservation of the collections, and how questions of value were often a decisive factor in the restoration or abandonment of damaged pieces. The same questions of value also determined how archival records documented the history of the collections by emphasizing the importance of few emblematic pieces while ignoring many others.
Abstract
Geneva hides one of the most important plaster cast collections of Frenchspeaking Europe, divided into two groups that together encompassed, at their high point, more than 3,500 casts and many of the corresponding molds. One group comprises a study collection that was established in the second half of the 18th century by the Arts Society of Geneva, and the other was a workshop, founded in the late 19th century for the School of Industrial Arts. Both collections have experienced tumultuous fates as a result of societal and political changes, and many plaster casts were discarded in the process. An analysis of the ways in which their destruction was documented or omitted by the archival records provides insight into various aspects of curatorial practices of plaster cast collections from the 18th century to the present day. Archival records highlight how poor storage conditions and frequent moves affected the state and preservation of the collections, and how questions of value were often a decisive factor in the restoration or abandonment of damaged pieces. The same questions of value also determined how archival records documented the history of the collections by emphasizing the importance of few emblematic pieces while ignoring many others.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Preface V
- Contents VII
- Acknowledgements XI
- Introduction 1
-
I (Post)colonial Contexts
- Introduction 19
- The (Mis)Performance of Cast Collections 25
- The Rise and Fall of the Museo de Copias: On the History of the Collection of Sculpture Replicas in the National Museum of Fine Arts in Santiago de Chile 51
- Embrace the Copy: Plaster Casts and Modernity in Art Education in Japan 77
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II Contested Classification: Art vs. Archaeology vs. Anthropology
- Introduction 103
- Hidden in Plain View: The Plaster Cast Collection at the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution 109
- Falling Between the Cracks: UC Berkeley’s Plaster Casts 131
- “Museum of Ancient Art” or White Elephant? The Battle Collection of Plaster Casts at the University of Texas at Austin 151
- Through Athena’s Eyes: The Henry W. Sage Collection of Casts at Cornell University 175
- From Pillar to Post: Classical Casts at the British Museum 201
-
III The Contingencies of Value
- Introduction 221
- Burnt, Destroyed, Sold, Lost: The Fate of Cast Collections in the 18th and 19th Centuries 225
- What Archival Records Do or Do Not Say: The Destruction of Plaster Casts in Geneva 239
- Die Abguss-Sammlungen im Museum Fridericianum und in der Gemäldegalerie Kassel 261
- Von systematischer Vernachlässigung bis absichtlicher Zerstörung: Gipsabgüsse in Jenaer und Wiener Antikensammlungen im 20. Jahrhundert 285
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IV The Contingencies of Authenticity
- Introduction 309
- Keep the Copy! Die Gipsabguss-Sammlung der Kunsthalle im sog. Hamburger Faksimile-Streit 313
- Verkauft, verschenkt, zerstört. Vergessen? Die Frankfurter Abguss-Sammlung(en): Versuch einer Rekonstruktion 329
- The Fate of the Berlin Plaster Cast Collections: From Veneration to Destruction, Defacement, and Disposal 349
- Smashing Casts: Replication of Scottish Early Medieval Sculpture as a Case Study on the Fragility of Value 375
-
V Revolution and Iconoclasm
- Introduction 401
- Destruction of Plaster Casts in Workshops and Collections of Important French Institutions in the 19th and 20th Centuries 407
- The Fate of Cast Collections in French Education: Between Destruction and Abandonment 435
- “A Rampage by Vandals”: The History and Destruction of the Plaster Casts of the National College of Art and Design of Ireland 455
- Models for Eternity: The Changing Role of Plaster Casts at The Maryland Institute 469
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VI Envois
- ‘Classical’ Plaster Casts in Enlightenment and Colonialist Discourses on Race 491
- Destroy the Copy? Destroy the Copy! A History of (Non-)appreciation 527
- About the Authors 585
-
Indices
- Locations and Collections 589
- Individuals 595
- General 601
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Preface V
- Contents VII
- Acknowledgements XI
- Introduction 1
-
I (Post)colonial Contexts
- Introduction 19
- The (Mis)Performance of Cast Collections 25
- The Rise and Fall of the Museo de Copias: On the History of the Collection of Sculpture Replicas in the National Museum of Fine Arts in Santiago de Chile 51
- Embrace the Copy: Plaster Casts and Modernity in Art Education in Japan 77
-
II Contested Classification: Art vs. Archaeology vs. Anthropology
- Introduction 103
- Hidden in Plain View: The Plaster Cast Collection at the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution 109
- Falling Between the Cracks: UC Berkeley’s Plaster Casts 131
- “Museum of Ancient Art” or White Elephant? The Battle Collection of Plaster Casts at the University of Texas at Austin 151
- Through Athena’s Eyes: The Henry W. Sage Collection of Casts at Cornell University 175
- From Pillar to Post: Classical Casts at the British Museum 201
-
III The Contingencies of Value
- Introduction 221
- Burnt, Destroyed, Sold, Lost: The Fate of Cast Collections in the 18th and 19th Centuries 225
- What Archival Records Do or Do Not Say: The Destruction of Plaster Casts in Geneva 239
- Die Abguss-Sammlungen im Museum Fridericianum und in der Gemäldegalerie Kassel 261
- Von systematischer Vernachlässigung bis absichtlicher Zerstörung: Gipsabgüsse in Jenaer und Wiener Antikensammlungen im 20. Jahrhundert 285
-
IV The Contingencies of Authenticity
- Introduction 309
- Keep the Copy! Die Gipsabguss-Sammlung der Kunsthalle im sog. Hamburger Faksimile-Streit 313
- Verkauft, verschenkt, zerstört. Vergessen? Die Frankfurter Abguss-Sammlung(en): Versuch einer Rekonstruktion 329
- The Fate of the Berlin Plaster Cast Collections: From Veneration to Destruction, Defacement, and Disposal 349
- Smashing Casts: Replication of Scottish Early Medieval Sculpture as a Case Study on the Fragility of Value 375
-
V Revolution and Iconoclasm
- Introduction 401
- Destruction of Plaster Casts in Workshops and Collections of Important French Institutions in the 19th and 20th Centuries 407
- The Fate of Cast Collections in French Education: Between Destruction and Abandonment 435
- “A Rampage by Vandals”: The History and Destruction of the Plaster Casts of the National College of Art and Design of Ireland 455
- Models for Eternity: The Changing Role of Plaster Casts at The Maryland Institute 469
-
VI Envois
- ‘Classical’ Plaster Casts in Enlightenment and Colonialist Discourses on Race 491
- Destroy the Copy? Destroy the Copy! A History of (Non-)appreciation 527
- About the Authors 585
-
Indices
- Locations and Collections 589
- Individuals 595
- General 601
