This dissertation examines how in eighteenth-century Europe, naturalists sought to study, grasp and capture the world of fish. Working on the intersection of the history of science and book history... Show moreThis dissertation examines how in eighteenth-century Europe, naturalists sought to study, grasp and capture the world of fish. Working on the intersection of the history of science and book history, this research aims to shed light on how naturalists came to present themselves as authorities in an emerging field. It does so by focussing on a set of ‘fish books’, i.e., natural historical works that describe and depict fish. The first is Francis Willughby and John Ray’s "Historia piscium" (Oxford, 1686); the second Peter Artedi’s "Ichthyologia sive opera omnia de piscibus" (Leiden, 1738), and the third Marcus Élieser Bloch’s twelve volume series "Allgemeine Naturgeschichte der Fische" (Berlin, 1782–1795). These works are analysed alongside correspondences, manuscripts and natural historical collections. Together, these sources show that the development of the study of fish in this period can be best be understood as a process of continuous demarcation. This dissertation argues that the study of fish was subject to recurrent debates on subject, method and practitioner, and that such discussions were of both epistemological and social nature. In presenting their fish books, naturalists leveraged such discussions as to secure a place for themselves in the capricious environment of early modern natural history. Show less
This dissertation approaches collections of Andean mummies in European national and university museums as the focus to understand the relationship between objects, documents, and the practice of... Show moreThis dissertation approaches collections of Andean mummies in European national and university museums as the focus to understand the relationship between objects, documents, and the practice of collecting in the period from 1850 to 1930. Over 200 mummies, kept by 18 different museums in Western European countries were analyzed.The comparative examination of these mummified human remains and their associated documentation kept by the museums has highlighted the importance of considering the process of formation of collections.This research details the changes that some of these collections have undergone over the years, and the importance of using interdisciplinary approaches within archaeology, including museum archaeology, physical anthropology and paleo-imaging, to understand them. A discussion on the ethical treatment of human remains in archaeological practice and museum collections is undertaken as an important framework for the information presented on the dissertation.Looking at timeframes, actors and places of collecting, as well as the information recorded about all three by museums, can result in vital information not only about the process of collecting itself, but also about the motivations and contacts between source countries and the European repositories of these remains. Show less
This book gives a survey of the career of the Renaissance antiquary Jacopo Strada (Mantua 1515- Vienna 1588). Aspects discussed include his background, education and artistic training; his early... Show moreThis book gives a survey of the career of the Renaissance antiquary Jacopo Strada (Mantua 1515- Vienna 1588). Aspects discussed include his background, education and artistic training; his early activities in Germany; his trips to Lyon and Rome and the origins of his huge collection of visual documentation of Antiquity and of canonical modern works of art; and his appointment as architect and antiquary to Emperors Ferdinand I and Maximilian II. The second part discusses Strada’s activities as architect and his share in projects of his imperial patrons in Vienna, the Munich Antiquarium, his own house and for private patrons. The third part discusses Strada’s role in purveying antiques and works of art for his patrons, contents and function of his own collection or “Musaeum”, and his ambition to set up as an international publisher. The conclusion first defines Strada’s self-image as an antiquary; applying some of the terms of Everett Rogers’ theory of the diffusion of innovations, it then demonstrates how, and to what extent, Strada’s activities and the presence of his "Musaeum" in Vienna contributed to the acceptance of the ideas and the artistic idiom of the Italian High Renaissance to the north of the Alps. Show less
