History of Museum Movement in the World

Welcome to the EPG Pathshala. I'm Dr. Sreerati Rai, Assistant Professor in the Department of Museology, University of Calcutta. Today we will know about the history of museum movement in the world. This is an interesting story or the journey or the very interesting information about the museums in this world. Here you can see a picture of Enigaldi Nana Museum. This is the earliest evidence in this world about the museum-like organization. Here in the excavation, certain things are found which proves that this is the earliest, this may be the museum or in some cases is considered as the educational museum. So, it was established in 550 BC and considered as the earliest evidence of the museum-like organization. So, in this session, we will know about the different movement of museum and different era and about basically the history of museum movement in this world. Here, first we will focus on the understanding of the etymology and development of the concept of museum, to know about the private collecting conducted in ancient and medieval time, to study the development of modern public museum. So, the entire history has divided into three aspects, concept, development and development of the modern museum. To preserve the heritage for the dissemination of knowledge, effort have been taken to develop institutions to collect and interpret wonders and curiosities, both man-made and natural side, few million before the Christ. An earlier evidence of secular organization as museum were developed as the vast botanical garden established around 550 BC in Macedonia by Alexander. He established this botanical garden for the advice of Aristotle. It was the initiative of Aristotle based on this, Alexander developed this kind of botanical garden. Another one is the Enigaldi Nana Museum in Babylonia established in 530 BC and similar kind of organization was the Alexandria Library developed by the Ptolemy I Sorter in 280 BCE. So, these are the three important museum like organization before the CE that we have found as the museum like organization. We start our journey from this museum like organization to the museum kind organization and the modern museum that you see today across the India or across the world. Through this initiative the concept of museum is developed in first in Europe. So, the earlier evidence of museum like organization we have found in Europe from where this concept spreaded in different continent and different countries. The word museum is derived from the Greek word called museon. Museum means the seat of museus. Museus were the Greek gods. This was the place of philosophic discussion and place of contemplation. Later on the museum word in the Latin version of museon derived in 15th century to state the collection of Lorenzo de' Medici in Florence. Initially visit to this museum like organization was restricted to the elites and nobles but later opened to the common people. When it opened to the common people since then we considered it as a museum, as a public service organization. So, first of all let us see the etymology and concept development of museum. The Greek word museon means seat of the museus and designated a philosophic institution or place of contemplation. Based on this idea the great museum at Alexandria founded by Ptolemy I's order early in the 3rd century BCE with its college of scholars and its library was more a prototype of university than an institution to preserve and interpret material evidences. By 17th century museum was being used in Europe to describe the collection of curiosities. The first public museum of the world the Ashmolean museum founded in 1675. Let us see the picture. This is the picture of that great library formed by the Ptolemy I's order in Alexandria. Early concept of museum develops with the aim of preservation and interpretation of collection. Collection of objects have been found in Paleolithic burial as mobiliary art. From the excavation at the Babylonian palace in 1925 Sir Leonardo Puli found 6th century BCE collection at the Babylonian king. A room next to the unearthed temple of Chandra Devi Nannar was found with the collection of antiquities and a tablet describing 21st century BCE inscription. Puli interpreted this tablet as a museum label and suggested that Enigaldi Nanna, Nebunida's daughter and a princess who ran the school had a small education museums there. This is the museum what I am talking about that picture which we have seen at the first of this presentation. So that's why we considered the Enigaldi Nanna as the earlier museum like organization. Then the period comes of classical collecting. The collection of things that have religious, magical, economic, aesthetic or historical value was undertaken worldwide by group of groups as well as by individual. In the Greek and Roman empires, devotive offerings, works of art and natural curiosities were housed in temples and treasuries and was open to public. Closer to the concept of museum was the Greek Pinakothek, established in the 5th century BCE in the Acropolis of the Athens. How is the painting honoring the gods? Indeed, art abundant in the public places of Roman but there was no museum. In the 1st century BCE, effort was taken to make painting and statues available to the public. Look at the picture. This is the Acropolis at Athens built in 5th century BCE where the painting gallery was there dedicated to the god and this was also the restricted for the noblemen or the elite person. Early evidence in Asia if you look about the evidences of museum or the museum like organization in Asia, you will find different, different kind of institution or the establishment. The tomb of the Qing emperor Xing Huang Tai near Xiang is guarded by the army of Terracotta warriors and horses. It is now declared as one of the wonder of the world and world heritage site. It was not a museum but its mode of collection, the style, the technique. Later on in later phases for this thing we consider this place as a museum like organization only for the collection and mode of its exhibition. This process was continued in China. The Han emperor Yu Tai established an academy that contained painting and calligraphies from each of the Chinese provinces. The last Han emperor also established the gallery containing portraits of his ministers. In Japan also the Todai temple there is a colossal seated bronze statues of the great Buddha built in 8th century at Nara. So in this way the concept of collection, preservation comes to Asia from the Europe. This is the image of Terracotta warriors at Xian. You see these Terracotta warriors are guarding the tomb of the Chinese Qi dynasty. This is the pit 1. Similarly there is a pit 2, 3 where so many this kind of Terracotta life-sized Terracotta warrior can be seen and this is the one of the wonder in this world and now it is considered as the museum. From Asia, like Asia we found several similar evidence in Africa also. Egyptian pharaohs and noblemen created pyramids as tomb to keep their mummies along with valuables and their objects of daily use. The pyramid of Giza and the tomb of Tutankhamen are most important though were not the place of public visit. Earlier these were not at all the museum but now for this collection we are considering this place as a museum like organization. Africa the collection of objects also has long history as instanced in wayside shrines and certain religious ceremonies. So in this way this thing, this preserving culture, interpretation are spreading from slowly slowly from one continent to another continent. Here is the picture of the Tutankhamen's tomb. It's a number 62 represent the Tutankhamen's tomb. Here you can see the image and the mummy. This place is now considered as the museum like organization. Now come to the private collecting conducted in medieval time. So starting from the 21st century BCE then to 6th century BCE then to the 3rd century BCE and the 1st century BCE and early 1st, 2nd, 3rd century CE now come to the medieval era. Here in Europe we found several movement or the establishment of several museum like organization during the medieval period from 9 to 12 CE. In medieval period in Europe collection was mainly prerogative of princely houses and churches. They preserved relics to understand the surrounding world for religious purpose and to influence the masses like the 9th century relics of emperor Christendom. Their purpose of storing, preserving were different than the purpose today. Europe's maritime link with the rest of the world brought considerable contact between the Italian peninsula and the continent. During 12th century many ancient statues from Rome were dispatched to England. This was the era where artists were encouraging, were giving the priorities and they were developing so many artifacts and they are transporting their artifact from one country to another country and there were many royal families, churches, they were collecting these artifacts for their royal possession to preserve in their palaces and later on this becomes the collection of museum. During the Renaissance period in Italy during 15th century it was a period of great achievement not only in literature but also in paintings, culture, architecture etc. It was a time of great artists like Raphael, Michelangelo, the great discoveries of Columbus, Vespucci and Cabot and Leonardo da Vinci. The wave of Renaissance produced a renowned awakening in Europe of curio collecting. Florence Medici family become widely noted for this. Lorenzo the Magnificent collection comprised books, precious stones, medals, tapestries etc. To store this collection the Medicis constructed house and annexed to their palaces. In this period Byzantine icon, flemish and other contemporary painting and sculptures were specially commissioned. Francis I converted the upper floor of the Uffizi palace to a picture gallery that was completed in 1582 CE and made accessible to the common people. The collection of curiosities by merchants and explorer in France gained an importance in the field of art making. The oldest surviving museum is located in Munich. The Duke of Bavaria and Albert V established between the 1563 and 1567 CE. Other important collections were portraits of great men assembled by Palio Giovio at Como, the archaeological collection of Rimini family of Venice and the collection of illuminated manuscripts gathered by Sir Robert Cotton. So this is the Medici painting, the upper floor of Uffizi palace. This palace is converted into the painting gallery. So their wonderful collection of Medici painting can be seen today. During this time, during the renaissance period several political events were going on. Two political events were took place in modern human history. One is the American declaration of independence in 1776 CE and second one is the French revolution's declaration of human and civil rights of 1789. As a result tremendous advancement took place in the field of science and culture. This new development further intensified the collection of art specimen and these were exhibited to the public. After this, when these political movements were going on, many royal families were involved in collection of antiquities. King Matthias I of Hungary maintained his paintings at Buda and kept Roman antiquities in the castle during the 15th century. Maximilian I of Austria acquired a collection for his castle in Vienna. Samples of both scientific material and art were featured in the green vault of the Christian palace of Augustus of Saxony. The Archduke Ferdinand of Tirol housed a varied collection that included Beninian ivories and Chinese paintings at Embrace Castle near Innsbruck. Other notable Central European collections included those of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II at Prague and of Albert V, Duke of Bavaria who from 1560 to 1571 had built buildings designed and erected to house his collection in Munich. In this way, slowly, slowly across the world, the different countries in Europe, based on this collection, this personal collection or the royal collection, several museum like organization were developing. And it was the, it was to, was the possession of that royal families to collect, to show their collection, the royal, the antiquities, the art objects. And for this purpose, this movement flourished or spread from one country to another country. During this period, other than these art objects, several collection, incident of collection of natural history objects are also seen. In Italy, more than 250 natural history collections are recorded during this period. The Herbaria of Lusa Ghini at Padua and collection of Pulisi at Bologna are most important. In England, collection of Felix Plater, now in Natural History Museum at Basel. The collection of John Tronstein, father and son. These are the very common and very important collection of this period. In 1565, a Flemish doctor Samuel Van classified the Art Curio. Museography was published by Caspar Nichols in 1727 CE. Linnaeus and Thomson, two Scandinavian discourse on classification on modern lines in 1735 and 1836 CE respectively. An important part of Linnaeus collection now lies with the Linnaeus Society in London. Thomas collection are now in the Danish National Museum. So, in this way, the several natural history collections were also housed and displayed in several organization, museum like organization. Later on, it became the museum, being the modern museum. Here you can see one, the collection of natural history objects, the specialized personal collection. This is the Museo di Ulysse. Here you can see the different objects. It was the very old museum of natural history objects. In this period, there are so many other societies that collect and display various objects in Europe. These are the Royal Society of London established in 1660, Academy of Science in Paris 1668 and Society of Antiquarian of London 1707. So, in this time, several societies are coming forward to store or to collect the object, to display the object to common people. After this period, we find the concept of modern museum. Before that, we have seen the museum like organization which stores, collect and interpret. But this organization was very much restricted for the some group of people. Now, since the establishment of the first modern museum, that is the Ashmolean Museum, the concept of modern museum comes in. This is first time when museum were open to the common people. So, Ashmolean Museum was the first university museum as well as the first public museum in this world. We regarded it as the first public museum in the world, developed by the, with a collection of Ilias Ashmolean and it is developed by the University of Oxford and opened to the public in 1683. This is the picture of Ashmolean Museum, the premier museum in this world. In 18th century, British Museum was established. This influenced the industrial development in Europe, followed by the opening of two of Europe's outstanding museum, the British Museum in London in 1759 and the Louvre in Paris in 1793. British Museum was formed as a result of the government's acceptance of the responsibility to preserve and maintain three collections. These were housed at Montague House in Bloomsbury, specially purchased for this purpose. These three collections were made by Sir Robert Cotton, Robert Harley, First Earl of Oxford and Sir Hans Lohan. Their collections are now available in the British Museum. This is a magnificent view of British Museum, where these three collections are still available or still on display for the common people along with the many other new collections that were developed in later period. The Louvre Museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, built in the late 12th century under Philip II. In 1682, Louis XIV chose the palace of Vasilis for his household, leaving the Louvre primarily as a place to display their royal collection. The museum opened on 10th August 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings including the royal procession. This collection was increased under the Napoleon and that time it was renamed as the Napoleon Museum, but later on their collections were returned to the original sources and again became known as the Louvre Museum. The collection was further increased during the reign of Louis XVIII and Charles XII and III French Empire. It includes the Yishun antiquities, Near Eastern antiquities, Greek, Roman antiquities, Islamic arts, sculptures, decorative art, painting, print and drawing. This is a magnificent view of Louvre Museum and is a very old and has huge collection of object of different antiquities and different art objects including the painting of Mona Lisa. Museum in Rome, if you see, the collection of Vatican were reorganized during the 18th century. The Palazzo di Conservazione was converted to a picture gallery in 1749. The Pio Clementian Museum became the part of the museum complex in Vatican City. It was opened in 1772 to house an extensive collection of antiquities. The neoclassical architecture of this building set a standard that was emulated in a number of European countries for half a century. The Capitoline Museum was opened to public in 1734. It is the oldest public collection of art in the world, began in 1471. The Vatican Museum is the second oldest museum in the world, trusts its origin to the public displayed. Sculptural collection began in 1506 by Pope. So in this way, you can see there is a two picture, one is of Capitoline Museum and another is the Vatican Museum. Magnificent murals, the collection of art objects can be seen in this museum. During this period, the very important museums were developed. Other notable museums in Europe includes the Royal Armouries in the Tower of London. It is the oldest exhibition gallery in the United Kingdom. It was opened to public in 1660. Though it is the earlier than the Ashmolean Museum, but it was not regarded as a museum at that time because it was an exhibition gallery. The Hermitage Museum was opened in 1764 in St. Petersburg in Russia. It has a huge collection. This is the one of the biggest museum in this world and composed of four palaces. One is a Winter Palace, Small Hermitage, Old Hermitage, New Hermitage and the Theatrical. All are open to the public now. Here, this is the view of Tower of London. And in this museum, now the Kohinoor, our Kohinoor is exhibited in this Tower of London. This is the magnificent view of Hermitage Museum. It is in St. Petersburg in Russia. Along with this, there are so many other museums also. In the Netherlands, a National Art Gallery was opened at the Houston Bosch in 1800. Royal Museum in Brussels was established by the Royal Warrant in 1835. National Gallery in London was founded. Development of museum in Germany started with the erection of Alte Pinakothek in 1936 at Munich to display the collection of Duke of Wittenberg. So, in this way, we can found the several museum and its development in different countries of Europe. With the development of museum in Europe, this movement spread from Europe and continues to the other continent. First of all, if you see in America, we will find the several museums which were established at that time. Before the end of 18th century, the phenomena of the museum had spread to other part of the world. In 1773, in the United States, the Charleston Library Society of the South Carolina announced its intention of forming a museum. And it was opened to the public in 1786. This is the first museum in United States. This Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC came into existence to the remarkable request of nearly half, one half million dollar from James Smithson, an Englishman. He wished to see the seat established in the United States and institution for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among the men. So, Smithsonian Institution was constructed. This is the largest museum now in this world. It has a museum complex with the several museums, several museum that it is within this Smithsonian complex. The US National Museum opened in 1858 as a part of the Smithsonian's scientific program at present. So, in this way, it became the largest museum in the world. This is the view of a Smithsonian museum complex. You can see here several museums in a single complex, the Natural History Museum, the History Museum, Art Museum, Art and Space Museums. So, it is, it is the complex museum where several kind of museums are situated. In South America, a number of national museums originated in the early 19th century, like the Argentina, Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences in Buenos Aires was founded in 1812. Brazil National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, which owes its origin to a selection of painting presented by John VI, exiled king of Portugal, was opened to public in 1818. In similar time in Asia, after formation of the society like Batavia Society of Art in Jakarta, one museum was established in 1771. Later on, it was converted and mixed with the Indonesian National Museum. In India, after formation of the Asiatic Society, the Indian Museum was formed to house the huge collection that was coming from different, that was explored or collected from different expedition and excavation activities of Europeans and housed in the Indian Museum collection. This is the, this is established in 1814 and this is the first and the premier museum in Asia. Japan's first encountered western museum institution when it participated in the Europe's World's Fair in 1860. The Cambodian art and architecture end its height during the Mars civilization between the 17th and 15th centuries. Later on, they developed museums in their respective country. This is the beautiful and the view of Indian Museum, Kolkata and the first museum in Asia. The first museum in China was the British Museum in China, founded in 1829 by the three super cargos of the English East India Company in Macau. The Tokyo National Museum established in 1872 is the oldest Japanese national museum and the largest art museum in Japan. The museum collection house and preserve a comprehensive collection of the art works and archaeological objects of Asia focusing in Japan. In this way, the various museum flourished in Asia. If you see the museum, about the museums in Africa at during this time, during the 19th and 20th century, you will find several museums establishing in Africa. In South Africa, a museum based on zoological collection of Andrew Smith was founded in Cape Town in 1825. Zimbabwe National Museum at Bulawe and Harare, these were founded in 1901. Uganda National Museum originated in 1908. National Museum of Kenya in Nairobi, it was established in 1909. In this way, with the dawn of 20th century, we will find several museums in Africa. This is the view of Egyptian Museum at Cairo. A significant progress of museum can be seen during and after the world wars, the two world wars. After the first world wars, during the period and after the second world war, we have seen the rapid growth in establishment of new museum. These museums we considered as the modern museums and along with the display house, these museums were started being serving as an education institution also. After the first world war, a new epoch in the history of modern museum was assured in whole of the European continent and America. It was an era of reformation and complete overhauling. The new concept of museum layout, architecture and presentation were evolved and made effective in different way in different countries. In this period, the open air museums, ecological museums, these were established in different parts of the world. Folk museum also established. Education in museum were given importance then that isolated after the wars. In USA, around 600 to 2500 museums were established between the wars. In Germany and USSR, there were 1500 to 540 museums between this period. The period witnessed a large scale of population of movement to urban center in the industrialization nation, leaded development in big museum across the world. The destruction of the world war one and two brought a great change in the museum. After the independence of India, enactment of the Museum Act speeded up the establishment of many museum in different parts of India. During this period, since 1945, several museum organization was established across the world. These organization take a lead of establishment of the museums in different countries. A meeting of curators from Latin America took place in Santiago in 1972, where the role of museum as a medium of lifelong education through which an awareness of social, economical, political, scientific, technical and environmental aspects of life were generated. Those were recognized by UNESCO in 1973. ICOM was established in 1946 as and as a professional non-government organization. After the formation of ICOM, it defines the definition of museums come and it give a shape to the functioning of museums in different countries. Museum architecture and exhibition were changed to meet the fresh objectives. More attention was given to exhibition presentation. Later, the new system of reference, reserve collection were introduced, initiated remarkable progress in all sphere of the museum in the world. The educational role of museum enhanced for creating general awareness and imparting knowledge to society about the rich collection cultural heritage. So, in this way, the journey that began in 2nd millennium BC in course of time spread worldwide by the 21st century scene. This is the total 4000 years of journey, where we see the heritage, we see the museum-like organization, we have seen the museum organization, we have started the aim of collection and the leadership in the collection, the private collecting system, the royal position, establishment of organization, housing the collections, personal collection and later on the opening of this collection to the common people and generating the concept of modern museum. So, this is the all about the journey of 4000 years right from 21st century BCE to 21st century CE. Now, museum is also come out of its age, old image of display house and serving as the public service organization. After the formation of the International and National Council and the committees of museum, now museum is defined appropriately and functioning accordingly not only to disseminate knowledge but also to development of the society. Patronage of respective government laws and legislation also support museum movement and work museum more organized way. So, this is all about the history of museum movement across the world. If you know more about the museum movement in the world, you go through the EPG Pashala website and there you can get the detail about it. Thank you.