Quote:
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Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey
Q1.
does knowledge of the society, culture and history from which a collected item come enhance the pursuit of collecting those items?
Q2.
if the response to Q1. is "yes, it does", is it a reasonable expectation that the majority of collectors would attempt to improve their knowledge in these areas ?
Q3.
if the response to Q1. is "no, it does not", can the reasons why it does not be identified ?
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Hello Alan,
I mostly concur with what has been said by the other members. As I used to collect other artifacts than Indonesian krisses (such as old Omani ethnic jewelry and silver artifacts), my reply will be more general.
Q1: Yes, but for me the pursuit of the knowledge of the society, culture, and history was not the immediate priority, but it came naturally after developing a strong interest in the collected items and a sufficient collection.
Q2: Not necessarily, many collectors will satisfy themselves jut by improving their knowledge about the specific type of item collected only and ignore or neglect the cultural environment.
Q3: In many cases it is very difficult to get acquainted with a foreign culture and society related to a type of collected item: for instance I lived in Indonesia and worked closely with Indonesians (most of them were Javanese) for 3 years and learnt very little from them because of societal and cultural barriers. In Oman I found that very little had been written or even transmitted orally by the locals concerning their ethnographic treasures, for instance the origin of the pieces and meaning of the silver decoration motifs. Of course the language is a major barrier.
Best regards