The Value of Unprovenanced Antiquities

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antiquities, archaeology, art market, artefact, artifact, collecting, cultural preservation, excavation, looting, provenance, research, value

“Regarding the issue of unprovenanced antiquities: surely even without substantiated provenance, there is still some factual knowledge to be derived– the approximate age of the item, for instance, and its general geographic origin? As a layperson in this area, I understand the additional value of confirmed provenance, but should that also mean that an item lacking provenance has no value at all?”

This was a great question in response to my last post, discussing a magazine editorial on scholarship, ethics, and artefacts lacking in proper archaeological provenance. (An unprovenanced artefact is one with an incomplete or unscientific record of its origin). The one-sentence answer is yes, there is always something to be gained from any existing piece. The more complete, complex answer has to do with the importance of knowledge and the nature of scientific inquiry. In archaeology, consider provenance another word for context. The moment something is pulled out of the ground, 90 percent of its meaning is lost.

Unprovenanced Artifacts—Publish or Perish?

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antiquities, archaeology, art crime, art market, artefact, artifact, authenticity, Biblical Archaeology Review, Biblical Archaeology Society, collecting, cultural preservation, excavation, provenance

Click to read the editorial

This editorial from the most recent issue of Biblical Archaeology Review does an excellent job of summarizing the concerns raised by studying artefacts that were inadequately, improperly, or even illegally excavated. Within this example, comparing two scholarly books, author Hershel Shenks outlines every major problem currently being debated; I highly recommend it as a brief introduction to a typically abstruse discussion.

What to Do with Unprovenanced Artifacts—Publish or Perish?

Links: ARCA

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ARCA, art, art crime, art forgery, art market, art theft, art trafficking, cultural preservation, interdisciplinary, international law, looting, provenance, repatriation, research, smuggling

The Association for Research Into Crimes Against Art is an important international organisation doing exactly what the name suggests, and their site is highly recommended. Conceived as a think tank, it connects professionals from the varied disciplines relevant to art crime worldwide, promotes scholarship, and emphasizes public outreach. The group organises conferences and training in interdisciplinary research, publishes, and keeps a blog on recent media relevant to art crime. It also has outstanding links to more specialised blogs and sites.

Click here or above to go to ARCA’s site.

 

Authenticity and Value

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art, art history, art market, artefact, artifact, authenticity, collecting, cultural preservation, museum, provenance, reproduction, value

After my last post, on forgery, I found myself still thinking about the meaning of authenticity, and the questions it raises; questions for which I have no answers. During the 19th century, it was common for art, especially sculpture, to be “restored” to make it more beautiful. Broken-off pieces like arms, feet, even heads, would be replaced with new pieces and seamlessly added to statues, with little concern for the piece’s original composition. The intent was usually not to produce an accurate restoration, but to make the piece as aesthetically pleasing as possible, according to the standards of the day. Many such pieces are now considered hopelessly inaccurate, not just because of modern knowledge, but by modern standards. In other centuries, a work of art’s great value lay in its beauty; in ours, art’s greatest value is in its authenticity.

Modernist Meditation

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art, art crime, art market, art theft, collecting, installation, modern art, museum, Portland Art Museum, provenance

Courtesy Portland Art Museum

I was at the Portland Art Museum this morning (like many of Oregon’s features, an under-the-radar gem, with an impressive scope to its collections), listening to a charming lecture from the curator, and suddenly found myself distracted by images from the modern and contemporary galleries. Leaving aside my personal opinions on modern art, I began to wonder—has the twenty-first century created unstealable art?

The Thomas Crown Affair

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art, art crime, art market, art theft, collecting, heist, museum, Thomas Crown Affair

An art crime researcher watching a heist movie for leisure is probably as bad as a personal trainer doing push-ups to unwind, but even intense intellectual scrutiny of caper films can’t escape one thing—they’re fun. Watching a movie with someone who can debate its accuracy and presentation is either fascinating or maddening, so out of compassion for my friends, I try to keep quiet, but I can’t help making mental notes. Perhaps it should be heresy that I can enjoy movies about art theft, but The Thomas Crown Affair lets me forget about the ugliness for a while and lose myself in the game.

The Impact of Art Crime II: Cultural Loss Is Forever

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antiquities, archaeology, art, art crime, art market, art theft, art trafficking, artefact, artifact, cultural heritage, cultural preservation, in situ, looting, provenance

In economics, there is a model called the broken window fallacy. The example is a thug that breaks a store window: a new window, supplies, and labour all have to be expended to repair the damage, none of which would have happened without that crime. Money is spent, things are happening; doesn’t that stimulate the economy? Two seconds’ thought shows the absurdity; destruction is not productive, and crime does not create prosperity. (If that still seems abstract, imagine being the owner of that store). Now imagine that there were no windows on earth that could replace the broken one. People could offer different kinds of walls, a door installed in the hole left by the window, or a security grill, but there could never again be a window for people to look into.

New Glossary Feature

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antiquities, archaeology, art, art crime, art market, artefact, artifact, cultural preservation, excavation, interdisciplinary, provenance, repatriation

Thanks to recent comments- and a few blank looks- A Year in Provenance now features a glossary page (see the menu bar at the top of each page, above the header, or Menu, below the header on the mobile version). Researching a subject that crosses boundaries, disciplines, and frequently, languages, flings a host of terminology at the reader; this new glossary project hopes to make this less baffling, if not actually clear! Even the specialists don’t always agree on meanings or usage of terms, so I shall do my best. Each new term will be added with a short post discussing what a term means in context, and what ambiguity, if any, remains; the glossary page will have the brief, precise definition for quick reference, and each term will be linked back to its explanatory post.

What Provenance Research Can Do: Looting

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antiquities, archaeology, art crime, art market, art theft, art trafficking, artefact, artifact, cultural heritage, cultural preservation, looting, provenance

Of all forms of art crime, looting of archaeological and historical sites is the most destructive. When an artwork is stolen from a gallery or museum, there is always a risk that the work will be unwittingly ruined, but at least the damage will be limited to a single piece. This is cold comfort when confronted with losing a masterpiece, but by comparison, the loss of a single site is immense. Looters are interested only in what they think will fetch a good price, and will throw away, cut through, or literally bulldoze anything that doesn’t appeal to them.