Art or material culture? Introduction to the perception of archaeology in Polish collections and museums
The text aims at presenting the reflections in respect of the perception of archaeological objects on the Polish land in the 19th century by selected collectors, using the methodological tools typical for the “return to things”. Several approaches to archaeological objects occurred in the times of the classicist cult of antiquity and romanticist passion for a “fragment” or “ruins”. One referred to the aforesaid toposes connected with the idea of “antiquity” as to artefacts that accumulated the past, and formed objects of nostalgic longing for the ancient times. At the same time, the 19th century was a time of intense acquisition of historic objects originating from excavations, and forming of archaeology as a science with its particular research methodology. Expansive penetration of Italy, Greece, Egypt, and Middle East, or the development of national archaeologies in European countries in the era of romanticism resulted in the creation of huge and impressive collections presented in museums. The establishment of archaeology as an academic discipline contributed to the birth of another model of perception of artefacts – a scientific approach to objects that were explored during research. In the modern era, as well as at its very threshold, monuments started to grow in economic value, which is hardly appreciated while analysing collections. The present text is an attempt at providing an explanation of the marginalised issues in respect of perception of archaeological objects before the “era of museums” on the Polish land, and provides a reflection on how the 19th-century foundations of museums management contributed to the way archaeological objects are presented in contemporary museums.