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Returning Euphronios, Elgin and Nefertiti Value Attribution in the Debate on Cultural Restitution and Ownership

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Returning Euphronios, Elgin and Nefertiti Value Attribution in the Debate on Cultural Restitution and Ownership Returning Euphronios, Elgin and Nefertiti Value attribution in the debate on cultural restitution and ownership Keywords: cultural restitution, ownership, heritage value, stakeholders, antiquities, Euphronios Krater, Elgin Marbles, Bust of Nefertiti, historical value, aesthetic value, cultural/symbolic value, scientific value, economic value, preservation, accessibility. Master’s Thesis Research Master Ancient Studies, University of Utrecht Author: Sophie van Doornmalen Thesis Supervisor: Prof. dr. Leonard Rutgers Second Reader: Dr. Rolf Strootman Date: January 23, 2017 Word amount: 40.818 Abstract In the last decades, the question ‘Who owns antiquity’ has often been debated, as source nations such as Italy, Greece and Egypt have pursued the return of artefacts originating from their nation’s territory and that have ended up in museums in Western countries, such as the USA, the UK and Germany. This master’s thesis examines why different stakeholders in the cultural restitution debate want to own these antiquities and does so by examining which heritage values, namely historical, aesthetic, cultural/symbolic, scientific and economic values, are attributed to the ancient artefacts, as well as looking at arguments of preservation and accessibility. Through a comparative approach of three case studies; the Euphronios Krater, the Elgin Marbles and the Bust of Nefertiti, this thesis scrutinizes how these values are connected to ideas of ownership, by examining how the values attributed by different stakeholders are used to argue for or against their repatriation. This research shows that the cultural restitution debate differs considerably among the cases and the stakeholders. The era and the way in which an object was removed from its source nation are determinative for the type of debate that is being held. All different values attributed by the stakeholders have merit, since often these values are based on feelings of belonging and identity. I will argue that we should move away from the concept of ownership and should move towards ‘shared stewardship’ of the individual antiquities at stake here, in order to establish a solution which includes all the stakeholders and allows the different values attributed to antiquities to coexist alongside each other. 1 Acknowledgements This thesis would not have been possible without the tremendous advice and support from several people. First, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to prof. dr. Leonard Rutgers, for his guidance, encouragement, flexibility and patience. Throughout my studies, your door has always been open for study, career, life and thesis advise, which I highly appreciate. Your suggestion to look beyond the field of ancient studies and look into cultural heritage, has not only led to a second master’s degree, but also to this very thesis subject. I would especially like to thank my parents for their unconditional love and support throughout my studies. I am very grateful that you have always let me choose my own path and have given me the means and care to pursue my dreams. I would also like to thank my friends, roommates and library allies for taking my mind off of studying and giving me the best student life anyone could wish for. Further, I would like to express my gratitude to my roommate Jeroen Krul for his wonderful cover illustration. In addition, I would like the thank the Royal Dutch Institute in Rome (Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut Rome) and the Dutch Institute Athens (Nederlands Instituut Athene) and especially, dr. Arthur Weststeijn and Nicholas Karachalis for organizing the course Confronting the Classics in Rome and Athens. Even though I did not actually get to see the Elgin Marbles or the Euphronios Krater, because the marbles are in London and the Euphronios Krater was on temporary loan to the Cerveteri Museum, debating the topic of cultural restitution next to the remaining marbles in the Acropolis Museum has fuelled my fascination on the subject and has inspired me to write this master’s thesis. 2 Content Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... 1 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... 2 Content ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 5 Chapter 1. Ownership, Values and Stakeholders of Cultural Heritage ...................................... 9 1.1. Cultural Restitution and Ownership ................................................................................ 9 1.2. Values and Stakeholders ............................................................................................... 14 Historical value ................................................................................................................ 18 Aesthetic value ................................................................................................................. 19 Cultural/symbolic value ................................................................................................... 20 Scientific ........................................................................................................................... 21 Economic value ................................................................................................................ 22 Preservation and accessibility .......................................................................................... 23 Chapter 2. Euphronios Krater ................................................................................................... 25 2.1. Cultural Restitution ....................................................................................................... 25 Restitution of the krater .................................................................................................... 27 2.2. Stakeholders .................................................................................................................. 29 2.3. Values ............................................................................................................................ 30 Historical value ................................................................................................................ 30 Aesthetic value ................................................................................................................. 31 Cultural/symbolic value ................................................................................................... 33 Scientific value ................................................................................................................. 36 Economic value ................................................................................................................ 38 Preservation and accessibility .............................................................................................. 39 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 40 Chapter 3. Elgin Marbles ......................................................................................................... 43 3.1. Cultural Restitution ....................................................................................................... 43 Restitution controversy .................................................................................................... 44 3.2. Stakeholders .................................................................................................................. 47 3.3. Values ............................................................................................................................ 48 Historical value ................................................................................................................ 48 Aesthetic value ................................................................................................................. 50 Cultural/symbolic value ................................................................................................... 53 Scientific Value ................................................................................................................ 56 3 Economic value ................................................................................................................ 58 3.4. Preservation and accessibility ....................................................................................... 59 Preservation ...................................................................................................................... 59 Accessibility ..................................................................................................................... 60 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 61 Chapter 4: Bust of Nefertiti ...................................................................................................... 64 4.1. Cultural Restitution ....................................................................................................... 64 Egypt’s repatriation claims ..............................................................................................
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