Religious Objects in Museums

Private Lives and Public Duties

By: Crispin Paine

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Paperback | 31 January 2013 | Edition Number 1

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178 Pages

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23.39 x 15.6 x 0.97

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In the past, museums often changed the meaning of icons or statues of deities from sacred to aesthetic, or used them to declare the superiority of Western society, or simply as cultural and historical evidence. The last generation has seen faith groups demanding to control 'their' objects, and curators recognising that objects can only be understood within their original religious context. In recent years there has been an explosion of interest in the role religion plays in museums, with major exhibitions highlighting the religious as well as the historical nature of objects.
Using examples from all over the world, Religious Objects in Museums is the first book to examine how religious objects are transformed when they enter the museum, and how they affect curators and visitors. It examines the full range of meanings that religious objects may bear - as scientific specimen, sacred icon, work of art, or historical record. Showing how objects may be used to argue a point, tell a story or promote a cause, may be worshipped, ignored, or seen as dangerous or unlucky, this highly accessible book is an essential introduction to the subject.

Industry Reviews

"The author takes his readers on a magical world tour of tangible things that were once-and in some cases still are-used in a huge variety of religious settings. With a cosmopolitan lightness of touch, Paine demonstrates the radical instability of such things, even once they have found their way into museums. They do not have a single meaning or use, but are almost infinitely adaptable. Above all, he deftly shows that the ""distinction between 'religious' and 'mundane' is a curious modern Western idea, incomprehensible to most people at most times."" No other book introduces readers more engagingly to the puzzles surrounding how museums address the sacred realm worldwide. - Ivan Gaskell, Professor of Cultural History, and of Museum Studies, Bard Graduate Center, New York City

This excellent study of museum exhibitions of religiously significant objects provides an illuminating overview of the issues and challenges arising from such exhibitions...Crispin Paine's book is a welcome new resource and will appeal to all who seek to understand the material dimensions of religious activity. - Journal of the American Academy of Religion - Bruce M. Sullivan, Northern Arizona University"

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