Abstract
The Glyptotheque of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts was the first and is the only museum in Croatia to specialize in the collection of plaster casts. It was founded on the principles of and in the spirit of a European-wide phenomenon, the collection of plaster casts that led to the foundation of numbers of collections and institutions.
All around Europe when a national heritage was being defined in the early 19th century, plaster casts appeared, in an echo of the Romantic movement. This was the time when numerous national collections of casts were created, mostly consisting of sculptures of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Numerous museums thus confirmed themselves as encyclopaedic and universal, their aim being to develop the national identity and culture.
In Glyptotheque The Collection of plaster casts of Croatian Historical monuments of sculptural and architectural heritage from the pre-Romanesque era to the Renaissance was assembled at the beggining of 20th century. From the very founding of the museum it was considered the most important section. The mission of the museum is, through the prism of this collection, the systematic collection and presentation of the national cultural development and historical and artistic monuments from the domain of sculpture. This paper lays stress on the provenience and the role of plaster casts from various archaeological sites and diverse collections Croatia-wide, which in the Glyptotheque can be presented and brought together in their original dimensions and in a single place.
Author Information
Magdalena Getaldić, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts-Glypthoteque, Croatia
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