Four museums receive grant for provenance research into colonial collections
Four museums receive a grant from the Colonial Collections Consortium for provenance research, contributed through the Provenance Research Scheme. With this grant, they will investigate the provenance histories of a (sub)collection or a specific object for which there are indications that it was acquired in a colonial context.
Awarded projects
Read more about the awarded projects below.
Chabot Museum
Chabot Museum will research the provenance of approximately 22 etnographic objects from West-Africa, from the collection-Schortenmeijer. The project focuses on transparency about the provenance, acquisition and colonial context, and aims to provide a more careful and honest presentation of the collection. Focus is given to, among other things, archives, art trade networks and posisble countries of origin, such as Ivory Coast.
Museum Gouda
Museum Gouda, founded in 1874 and grown into a collection of more than 40.000 objects, researches two specific objects with unknown provenance. The research concerns a unique ivory pipe holder from Sri Lanka and a porselain spittoon from Curaçao, gifted in 1967. Through archival research, object analysis and literature, the provenance histories of these objects will be reconstructed.
Naturalis Biodiversity Center
Naturalis will research the provenance of botanical and zoological collections collected during Dutch expeditions in Suriname in the early 20th century. Central to this research is the role of Indigenous and Marron-communities, who actively contributed to the collection of objects and the production of knowledge. Through archival research and diary and specimen analysis, hidden traces of local knowledge and collaboration will become visible.
Westfries Museum
As part of a broader renewal of its museum presentation, the Westfries Museum will examine its collection within a global, inclusive context. Within a revaluation process of in total 36.000 objects, the colonial provenance of a selection of 30 objects from the Carbasius-collection (1650-1750) will be studied. The focus is on archival sources, objects analysis, and possible connections with the VOC and colonial trade networks. Aim is to make this context more visible and to integrate it into a renewed presentation.