THE STAGING of NYNÄS CASTLE from Private Home to Museum
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THE STAGING OF NYNÄS CASTLE From Private Home to Museum Ellionore Schachnow Department of Culture and Aesthetics, Stockholm University Spring 2020 ABSTRACT Department: The Department of Culture and Aesthetics Address: 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden Supervisor: Sabrina Norlander Eliasson Title and Subtitle: The Staging of Nynäs Castle - From Private Home to Museum Author: Ellionore Schachnow Author’s Contact Information: Midskeppsgatan 1, 120 66, Stockholm, [email protected], 0722502894 Essay Level: Master’s Thesis Ventilation Semester: Spring 2020 The thesis examines the reason behind the overtaking of Nynäs castle by the State Art Museums and how Nationalmuseum choose to stage the period rooms during 1984-2020 and how it relates to contemporary trends within museology. Furthermore, the thesis examines possible similarities in how the National Trust stages their historic houses. The thesis emanates from Emma Barker’s art historical approach to critical studies of the historic buildings owned by the Trust and discusses the possibilities and limitations of the historic house museums in the context of house museology. This thesis also discusses the differences between an ethnographic and an art museum in a historic house context and the function of the period room. The State Art Museum managed to receive funds for the acquisition of Nynäs collections through private donations and funds from the State. The original intention was to stage the interior rooms as it was found, and this approach partly resembles the staging of a house owned by the National Trust. This approach was questioned by Nationalmuseum during 2008 and they initiated a project of re-arranging the rooms which resulted in a chronological display. The display of the kitchen and service areas since the opening can relate to a rising interest in New Museology. Keywords: Nationalmuseum, Historic House Museum, Nynäs, House Museology, Historic House, National Trust Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 Aims and Research Questions ................................................................................................ 1 Literature Review / Source Criticism ..................................................................................... 1 Material ................................................................................................................................... 3 Theory & Methodology .......................................................................................................... 3 Delimitations .......................................................................................................................... 4 The Manor of Nynäs: Historical Layers ..................................................................................... 5 The Early History of Nynäs - A Medieval Seat Farm ............................................................ 5 The 17th-Century Manor House is Constructed ...................................................................... 5 David Henrik Hildebrandt buys Nynäs - The Late Gustavian Nynäs .................................... 7 The Last Private Owners of Nynäs ......................................................................................... 7 From Private Home to Museum ................................................................................................. 9 Plans for a Research Centre of Manor Culture at Nynäs Castle – Gaining Support from the Cultural Institutions .............................................................................................................. 10 Donations and funds ............................................................................................................. 11 Acquiring Carl Göran Bonde’s Library ................................................................................ 12 Staging the Period Rooms 1984-2020 ...................................................................................... 14 National Trust - Heritage and Country Houses .................................................................... 14 Art History and Ethnography - Different Intentions ............................................................ 15 Dual Values of the Period Room .......................................................................................... 17 Original Intentions ................................................................................................................ 19 Re-Arranging the Period Rooms .......................................................................................... 21 The Big Dining Room and the Bedchamber of the Excellency ........................................... 22 The Blue Bedchamber, the Gallery, the Green and Red Atrium .......................................... 26 The Victorian Hunting Salon ................................................................................................ 31 Gripenstedts Writing Room .................................................................................................. 34 The Nursery .......................................................................................................................... 36 Kitchen and Service Areas ................................................................................................... 39 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 43 Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................... 45 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................. 46 Literature .............................................................................................................................. 46 Unpublished Sources ............................................................................................................ 47 Archive Material ................................................................................................................... 48 Internet Sources .................................................................................................................... 48 List of Illustrations ................................................................................................................... 50 Appendix .................................................................................................................................. 51 Interview Questions .............................................................................................................. 53 Introduction Aims and Research Questions The aim of the thesis is to examine the procedures of the takeover of Nynäs castle by Nationalmuseum. Furthermore, the aim is to examine how Nationalmuseum stages the period rooms from 1984-2020 and how it relates to contemporary trends within museology. The aim is also to outline the relationship between the representation of the historic houses owned by the National Trust with the staging of Nynäs castle. • What were the reason for buying Nynäs castle and what were the procedures of the takeover? • How did Nationalmuseum stage the period rooms in Nynäs castle 1984-2020? • Are there similarities between the staging of Nynäs castle by Nationalmuseum and the staging of the historic houses owned by the National Trust in England? Literature Review / Source Criticism Nynäs is a property that comprises the manor house, usually referred as Nynäs castle, and the surrounding land with several appurtenant buildings. There are only a few sources about the early history of Nynäs and they are usually focused on the architectural changes of the manor building instead of the changes in the interiors that would be more relevant to this thesis. Although, these sources constitute the basis for the historical background outlined in this thesis. The early history of Nynäs castle and its former owners are mentioned in Svenska slott och herresäten vid 1900-talets början Södermanland (1908).1 Moreover, Claes Ellehag describes the early history of Nynäs castle in Nynäs - ett 1600-talsslott från Erik och Konrad Gyllenstiernas tid (1985) with a focus on the history of the main building and the historical function of the rooms. Ellehag bases the research on archive material such as inventories, letters and maps regarding the early history of the estate.2 Additionally, Ellehag’s dissertation Fem svenska stormanshem under 1600-talet (1994) outlines the architectural alterations of the estate in a historical context.3 There are a few publications about Nynäs castle in connection to the takeover made by Nationalmuseum and the State Art Museums. In the article Nynäs i Bälinge, en kulturskatt för 1 Roosval, Albin (red.), Svenska slott och herresäten vid 1900-talets början Södermanland, [Lundquist], Stockholm, 1908. 2 Ellehag, Claes, Nynäs - ett 1600-talsslott från Erik och Konrad Gyllenstiernas tid, Södermanlands Museum, Nyköping, 1985. 3 Ellehag, Claes, Fem svenska stormanshem under 1600-talet, Nordiska museet, Diss. Stockholm: Univ, Stockholm, 1994. 1 forskningen (1985) Lars Sjöberg argues for the relevance and importance of Nynäs for research within several fields. Furthermore, Sjöberg explains the process and how Nynäs with its interiors was acquired by the State Art Museums.4 The author addresses key events in the