Oliver Impey

Arthur MacGregor

The Origins of Museums The Cabinet of Curiosities in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century Europe

The figure of Sir John Evans might stand as an exemplar for so many aspects of Victorian virtue. From beginnings as a clerk in the paper industry, he rose by hard work and astute judgement (not to mention advantageous marriage) to the peak of his profession. He became a phenomenon amongst the learned societies, holding office in the Royal Society, Numismatic Society, Society of Antiquaries, Geological Society and others. A thrice-married family man, he enjoyed a wide friendship, drawn mostly from the scholarly and scientific community and characterised as the 'Darwinist community'; with a strong sense of purpose they sought ways to extend the principles of natural selection to numismatic and antiquarian practice, and to establish protocols for the communication of visual evidence. Evans played key roles in topics as diverse as the water supply for the metropolis and the establishment of human antiquity. His archaeological and numismatic collections were internationally famous and formed the basis for a body of printed works produced over fifty years of sustained effort. In this easily readable but scholarly volume, fourteen authors examine Evans' enduring significance in a study that firmly establishes his place in the canon of leading figures of Victorian society.

Antiquity, Commerce and Natural Science in the Age of Darwin

Sir John Evans 1823-1908

Ashmolean Museum

Manuscript Catalogues of the Early Museum Collections, 1683-1886

Artefacts made from skeletal materials since the Roman period were, before this book, neglected as a serious area of study. This is a comprehensive account which reviews over fifty categories of artefact. The book starts with a consideration of the formation, morphology and mechanical properties of the materials and illuminates characteristics concerning working with them. Following chapters discuss the organisation of the industry and trade in such items, including the changing status of the industry over time. Archaeological evidence is combined with that from historical and ethnological sources, with many illustrations providing key visual reference. Originally published in 1985.

The Technology of Skeletal Materials Since the Roman Period

Bone, Antler, Ivory and Horn

A comprehensive account of an extraordinary phenomenon which developed in 16th- and 17th-century Europe - the cabinet of curiosities or Wunderkammer - in which are to be found the beginnings of museums as we know them. Cabinets reflected all the intellectual curiosity of the age.

Arthur MacGregor

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