Provenance of Colonial-Era Collections from Togo

Provenance of Colonial-Era Collections from Togo in the Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden and the GRASSI Museum für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig (Staatliche Ethnographische Sammlungen Sachsen)

A selection of 700 objects and photographs from the historical territory of Togo were the focus of this provenance research project. They were acquired by or donated to the ethnological museums Dresden and Leipzig between 1899 and 1939. Their appropriation is related to the activities of German police troops, scientists, traders and colonial officials in Togo under German colonial rule from 1884 to 1914. In addition to determining the origins, we tried to reconstruct the whereabouts and activities of those persons into whose possession the objects passed at that time through broad archival research. These are Ernst F. Gütschow and Oskar Marx in Dresden, and Hans Gruner, Valentin von Massow, Gaston Thierry, Adolf Diehl, Harry Grunitzky and Adam Mischlich in Leipzig. They acted within the colonial context of injustice, which was characterized by annexation expeditions, wars of conquest, as well as missionary work and appropriation of cultural assets. In the project, we focused on precisely these appropriations, especially in the context of colonial wars, as well as on objects that can be considered particularly sensitive.

Results and Goals

The project aims at reconstructing the exact circumstances of appropriations of cultural assets from the context of the former German colony of Togo and publishing ensuing results internationally.

Publications

The results of the research will be published in the Online Collection of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, in the Proveana database of the German Lost Art Foundation, and in a multilingual research report.

German: https://doi.org/10.18452/27457
English: https://doi.org/10.18452/27458
French: https://doi.org/10.18452/27459

Contact

silvia.dolz(at)skd.museum

Funded by

German Lost Art Foundation

Duration

April 2021 - June 2023

Project managers

Silvia Dolz, custodian of the Africa Collections, Staatliche Ethnographische Sammlungen Sachsen, Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden

Dr. Friedrich von Bose, former head of research and exhibitions, Staatliche Ethnographische Sammlungen Sachsen (current contact: friedrich.vonbose@uzh.ch)

Project team

Marlena Barnstorf-Brandes, research assistant, since 1 January 2023 assistant curator at the GRASSI Museum für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig

Dr. Emery Patrick Effiboley, lecturer in history of art and head of the Department of History and Archaeology at the University of Abomey-Calavi, Bénin

Dr. Bernadett Freysoldt, freelance restorer, since 1 October 2022 employed at the GRASSI Museum für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig

Toni Hanel, research assistant, Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden

Julia Pfau, collections manager, GRASSI Museum für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig

Ricarda Rivoir, freelance research associate in connection with her master’s thesis, GRASSI Museum für Völkerkunde zu Leipzig

Dr. Julia von Sigsfeld, research assistant to the director, Staatliche Ethnographische Sammlungen Sachsen

Maria Söhnel, collections manager, Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden

Dr. Ohiniko Mawussé Toffa, researcher, Staatliche Ethnographische Sammlungen Sachsen

Dr. Messan Tossa, researcher, National Archives of Togo

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