British Collecting in Ethiopia 1769 to 1960: Explorers, Missionaries, Military Expeditions, and Royal Gifting
Lead Research Organisation:
University of St Andrews
Department Name: Sch of Art History
Abstract
Ethiopia and Scotland, within a wider British context, have an extended, but underexplored, shared history. From the arrival of the first British person in Ethiopia, the Scottish explorer and collector James Bruce of Kinnaird in 1770, to the British military punitive expedition to Maqdala (1867-1868), which included the Cameronian Scottish Rifles, to the joint mission to free Ethiopia from Italian occupation during WWII, Britain has had a near-continuous Ethiopian presence. Objects are vital sources for illuminating this relationship. Explorers, missionaries, diplomats, and military expeditions collected Ethiopian objects, while Ethiopian rulers have gifted British royalty Ethiopian royal regalia since the early 19th century. Acquisition and display of these objects could represent domination, facilitate diplomatic relations, or demonstrate cultural knowledge. Political changes, and the development of anthropology, shaped the context of collecting and display, altering the personnel involved and their motivations.
The NMS collection of 243 Ethiopian objects, including those from the first exploration in 1770 and the punitive expedition to Magdala in 1867-8, afford rich primary sources for analysing shifting patterns of engagement with Ethiopian culture over a period of radical political and administrative change, but the history of their collection has not been studied before. The NMS collection, together with other collections in the UK, represents one of the most significant assemblages of Ethiopian cultural heritage outside of Ethiopia. There is a growing body of colonial collecting histories from east Africa and in Asia. However, British collecting in Ethiopia remains unexplored because Ethiopia wasn't colonised and thus rarely figures in British imperial histories. This project presents an opportunity to comparatively assess British colonial era collecting in a non-colonial setting.'
As well as NMS's own archives, my research will draw upon the War Office Archive at the British Library, the Hansard parliamentary archive, and the associated records and accounts published following the Expedition to Abyssinia, in order to understand the military context behind many of these acquisitions. I will also focus on the Scottish war artist and correspondent William Simpson - himself a keen collector of Ethiopian objects - examining his prolific diaries and sketchbooks to shed light on the objects in the NMS collection.
My research will situation the events at Maqdala within the wider context of British collecting in Ethiopia. This research will draw upon resources such as the the James Bruce archive held by the YCBA, in order to illuminate the history behind the objects from Bruce's collection which are now held by NMS. I will also strive to find as much Ethiopian source material as possible, and I will liaise with contemporary collectors and dealers of Ethiopian art to understand more about the contemporary practice of collecting Ethiopian art in the UK today.
While documentary evidence will form a key focus of this studentship, I will consider the objects first and foremost in my research. I will study the collection at NMS as closely as possible and situate it within the broader context of Ethiopian art history. I will also carry out research into what has happened to the objects since their arrival in Edinburgh, charting the history of their storage, display, and the responses to them. I will examine which objects have appeared in NMS's galleries and exhibitions over the years, and the ways in which they have been displayed and interpreted during this time.
Through this project I hope to help shine a new light on NMS's Ethiopian collections and help colleagues at the museum to develop new processes and best-practices for studying, interpreting and caring for these important and fascinating collections.
The NMS collection of 243 Ethiopian objects, including those from the first exploration in 1770 and the punitive expedition to Magdala in 1867-8, afford rich primary sources for analysing shifting patterns of engagement with Ethiopian culture over a period of radical political and administrative change, but the history of their collection has not been studied before. The NMS collection, together with other collections in the UK, represents one of the most significant assemblages of Ethiopian cultural heritage outside of Ethiopia. There is a growing body of colonial collecting histories from east Africa and in Asia. However, British collecting in Ethiopia remains unexplored because Ethiopia wasn't colonised and thus rarely figures in British imperial histories. This project presents an opportunity to comparatively assess British colonial era collecting in a non-colonial setting.'
As well as NMS's own archives, my research will draw upon the War Office Archive at the British Library, the Hansard parliamentary archive, and the associated records and accounts published following the Expedition to Abyssinia, in order to understand the military context behind many of these acquisitions. I will also focus on the Scottish war artist and correspondent William Simpson - himself a keen collector of Ethiopian objects - examining his prolific diaries and sketchbooks to shed light on the objects in the NMS collection.
My research will situation the events at Maqdala within the wider context of British collecting in Ethiopia. This research will draw upon resources such as the the James Bruce archive held by the YCBA, in order to illuminate the history behind the objects from Bruce's collection which are now held by NMS. I will also strive to find as much Ethiopian source material as possible, and I will liaise with contemporary collectors and dealers of Ethiopian art to understand more about the contemporary practice of collecting Ethiopian art in the UK today.
While documentary evidence will form a key focus of this studentship, I will consider the objects first and foremost in my research. I will study the collection at NMS as closely as possible and situate it within the broader context of Ethiopian art history. I will also carry out research into what has happened to the objects since their arrival in Edinburgh, charting the history of their storage, display, and the responses to them. I will examine which objects have appeared in NMS's galleries and exhibitions over the years, and the ways in which they have been displayed and interpreted during this time.
Through this project I hope to help shine a new light on NMS's Ethiopian collections and help colleagues at the museum to develop new processes and best-practices for studying, interpreting and caring for these important and fascinating collections.
