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The Thing about Replicas—Why Historic Replicas Matter

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Sally M. Foster  and
Neil G.W. Curtis
Sally M. Foster*
Affiliation:
Centre for Environment, Heritage and Policy, University of Stirling, UK
Neil G.W. Curtis*
Affiliation:
University Museums, University of Aberdeen, UK
*
[email: neil.curtis@abdn.ac.uk]
[email: s.m.foster@stir.ac.uk]
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Abstract

Reproduction of archaeological material was a significant and serious enterprise for antiquarians and museums in the long nineteenth century. Replicas embed many stories and embody considerable past human energy. Behind their creation, circulation, use, and after-life lies a series of specific social networks and relationships that determined why, when, and in what circumstances they were valued, or not. Summarising the context of their production, circulation, and changing fortunes, this article introduces the ways in which replicas are important, and considers the specific benefits and aspects of a biographical approach to their study. Beyond the evidential, the study of existing replicas provides a historical and contemporary laboratory in which to explore the concepts of value and authenticity, and their application in cultural heritage and collections management, offering us a richer insight into the history of ourselves as archaeologists and curators.

La reproduction de sujets archéologiques était une entreprise sérieuse et importante pour les musées et les amateurs d'antiquités au cours du long XIXe siècle. Une série de réseaux et de rapports sociaux précis qui ont déterminé pourquoi, quand et comment on a assigné une valeur (ou non) à ces reproductions est à l'origine de la création, de la circulation, de l'usage et de la survie de ces représentations qui intègrent de nombreuses histoires et incarnent une énergie humaine considérable. Notre article résume le contexte, la circulation et le destin de ces reproductions, introduit les aspects qui les rendent importantes, et examine les avantages et éléments particuliers qu'une approche biographique peut apporter. En dehors des éléments probants, l'étude des copies sert de laboratoire historique et contemporain permettant d'explorer les notions d'authenticité et de valeur et d'étudier leur mise en pratique dans la gestion du patrimoine culturel et des collections de musées, ce qui enrichit nos conception de notre propre expérience d'archéologues et de conservateurs. Translation by Madeleine Hummler.

Für Altertumsforscher und Museen im langen 19. Jahrhundert war die Nachbildung von archäologischen Funden ein bedeutendes und beträchtliches Unternehmen. Solche Nachbildungen schließen viele Geschichten ein und verkörpern ein bedeutendes menschliches Arbeitsvermögen, deren Erzeugung, Verbreitung, Brauch und Nachleben auf einer Menge von spezifischen sozialen Netzwerken und Verbindungen beruht; diese haben bestimmt, warum, wann und wie denen ein Wert (oder kein Wert) zugewiesen wurde. Unser Artikel fasst den Kontext, in welchem sie erzeugt wurden, die Verteilung und das wechselnde Schicksal von Abgüssen zusammen; weiter wird die Begründung ihrer Bedeutung einbezogen und die Vorteile eines biografischen Vorgehens ausgewertet. Außer den nachweisbaren Belegen bildet die Untersuchung von überlieferten Abgüssen ein historisches und gegenwärtiges Testfeld für die Auswertung von Auffassungen von Wert und Echtheit sowie eine Gelegenheit, ihren Gebrauch in der Denkmalpflege und in Museumssammlungen zu bewerten. Diese Verfahren erlauben, wertvolle Erkenntnisse in die Geschichte unserer Tätigkeit als Archäologen und Kuratoren zu gewinnen. Translation by Madeleine Hummler.

Keywords

archaeological reproductionsfacsimilesplaster castscultural biographyvalueauthenticityreproduction d'objets archéologiquescopiesmoulages en plâtrebiographies culturellesvaleurauthenticitéarchäologische Nachbildungenoriginaltreue KopieGipsabgüssekulturelle BiographieWertEchtheit
Type
Articles
Information
European Journal of Archaeology , Volume 19 , Issue 1 , 2016 , pp. 122 - 148
Copyright
Copyright © 2015 the European Association of Archaeologists 

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