Saturday,
November 03,
The
ANNOTICO Report
The
drive however involves a deeper issue that has long pitted the art collectors against archaeologists.
To
the archaeologists, not only is the artifact important, but what the objects
reveal about the lives and customs of their makers, which is best divined by
studying them where they're found, typically in graves or other archaeological
digs.
Principle is at Heart of Antiquities
Crackdown
Minneapolis
Star Tribune - Minneapolis,MN,USA
By
Mary Abbe
November 02, 2007
In
pursuing the return of antiquities from the Getty Villa museum, the Italian
government is acting to reinforce an important principle, more than its need
for antiquities. For decades art collectors and archaeologists have been at
odds. Collectors and art historians value antiquities primarily for their
aesthetic qualities -- the beauty and refinement of their design.
Archaeologists are especially concerned about context, that is, what the
objects reveal about the lives and customs of their makers, which is best
divined by studying them where they're found, typically in graves or other
archaeological digs.
In
pursuing the return of antiquities from the Getty Villa museum, the Italian
government is acting to reinforce an important principle, more than its need
for antiquities. For decades art collectors and archaeologists have been at
odds. Collectors and art historians value antiquities primarily for their
aesthetic qualities -- the beauty and refinement of their design.
Archaeologists are especially concerned about context, that is, what the
objects reveal about the lives and customs of their makers, which is best
divined by studying them where they're found, typically in graves or other
archaeological digs.
Grave robbers, of
course, don't give a hoot about scholarship. They just want to get the most
money possible, which means selling to rich collectors who may or may not know
they're buying hot property. The sales are done through intermediaries and posh
galleries or auction houses in
Within the past
10 years, governments of many antiquities-rich countries including
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