The National Museum of Ethnology (Museum Volkenkunde), is an

ethnographic Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject o ...

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

located in the university city of

Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...

. As of 2014, the museum, along with the

Tropenmuseum The Tropenmuseum ( en, Museum of the Tropics) is an ethnographic museum located in Amsterdam, Netherlands, founded in 1864. One of the largest museums in Amsterdam, the museum accommodates eight permanent exhibitions and an ongoing series of tem ...

in Amsterdam, and the Africa Museum in Berg en Dal, together make up the National Museum of World Cultures.

First ethnographic museum in Europe

The institution which was at first called the "Museum Japonicum". It was the first museum in Europe which was designed to demonstrate that collecting the artefacts of man could mean more than the mere accumulation of curiosities. From the very outset, this innovative institution incorporated at least four basic principles: collecting, scientific research, presentation to the public, and educational guidance. In 1816 the ''Koninklijk Kabinet van Zeldzaamheden'' was formed in the Hague as an attempt to start a museum of scientific artifacts from around the world, based on royal collections and a large group of Chinese artifacts from private collections. Thanks to the early efforts of this organization, in the early 1830s, when

Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold (17 February 1796 – 18 October 1866) was a German physician, botanist and traveler. He achieved prominence by his studies of Japanese flora and fauna and the introduction of Western medicine in Japan. He was ...

abandoned the political turmoil of revolutionary Belgium for the relative calm of the

University of Leiden Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, as a reward to the city of Le ...

, he was inspired by the first museum director R.P. van de Kasteele to collect Japanese objects for his collection. The resulting gift of about 5,000 objects became the heart the new museum's holdings. Siebold's home in Leiden—and the objects he brought to Europe after eight years in Japan—was opened to the public in the early 1830s (today his collection is preserved in the

SieboldHuis Japan Museum SieboldHuis (Siebold House) is a museum located at the in Leiden, Netherlands. It displays items that were collected by Philipp Franz von Siebold (1796-1866) between 1823 and 1829 during his stay at Dejima, the Dutch trade colony n ...

). The Dutch crown had previously purchased the smaller collections of

Jan Cock Blomhoff Jan Cock Blomhoff (Amsterdam, 5 August 1779 – Amersfoort, 15 August 1853) was director ("opperhoofd") of Dejima, the Dutch trading colony in the harbour of Nagasaki, Japan, 1817–1824, succeeding Hendrik Doeff. During his first stay on the ...

in 1826 and Johannes Gerhard Frederik van Overmeer Fischer in 1832. These which were merged with what Siebold bestowed on King William I; and they became crucial elements in the creation of what became the ''Museum voor Volkenkunde'', or Ethnographic Museum in Leiden in 1837. This institution would later evolve into the National Museum of Ethnology. In 1843, Siebold also encouraged other Europeans to create ethnographic institutions similar to what was developing in Leiden. He urged "the importance of their creation in European states possessing colonies because these institutions could become a means for understanding the subject peoples and of awakening the interest of the public and of merchants -- all of which are necessary conditions for a lucrative trade which benefits all."

Museum holdings

The collection today contains a large number of objects from Africa, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Latin America, North America, Oceania, and Asia. In developing the collection, the museum has devoted significant attention to acquiring material which illustrates the historical development of world cultures; but the genesis of the museum's holdings began with material garnered during the years

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

was officially closed except for one small island in Nagasaki harbor --

Dejima , in the 17th century also called Tsukishima ( 築島, "built island"), was an artificial island off Nagasaki, Japan that served as a trading post for the Portuguese (1570–1639) and subsequently the Dutch (1641–1854). For 220 years, it ...

Blomhoff collection

As ''

Opperhoofd ''Opperhoofd'' is a Dutch word (plural ''opperhoofden'') that literally translates to "upper-head", meaning "supreme headman". The Danish equivalent ''overhoved'', which is derived from a Danish pronunciation of the Dutch or Low German word, is als ...

'' (or chief trader) for the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

(''Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie'' or ''VOC'') at Dejima island in Nagasaki harbor from 1817 through 1823, Jan Cock Blomhoff was unique. Despite the Japanese "closed door" policy for Westerners (''

sakoku was the Isolationism, isolationist Foreign policy of Japan, foreign policy of the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate under which, for a period of 265 years during the Edo period (from 1603 to 1868), relations and trade between Japan and other countri ...

''), he did transport his wife, Titia, and children to join him. The Japanese predictably responded by ejecting both Blomhoff and his family; but that experience did broaden the range of household goods and other objects he accumulated across the span of his stay in Japan.

Fischer collection

Johannes Gerhard Frederik van Overmeer Fischer began as a clerk at Dejima and he was later promoted to warehouse master (''pakhuismeester''). During the span of his stay in Japan, Fisher's access to Japanese culture was limited; but within his universe of contacts, he was able to amass a considerable collection of "ordinary" objects which were plausibly overlooked by others. This material was brought back to the Netherlands in 1829. In 1833, he published ''Bijdrage tot de kennis van het Japansche rijk'' (''Contribution to the knowledge of the Japanese Empire'').

Siebold collection

As a physician practicing Western medicine in Nagasaki (1823-1829),

Philipp Franz von Siebold Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold (17 February 1796 – 18 October 1866) was a German physician, botanist and traveler. He achieved prominence by his studies of Japanese flora (plants), flora and fauna (animals), fauna and the introduction of ...

received payment in kind with a variety of objects and artifacts which would later gain unanticipated scholarly attention in Europe. These everyday objects later became the basis of his large

collection, which consisted of everyday household goods, woodblock prints, tools and hand-crafted objects used by the Japanese people in the late

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

. Further information relating to this material was published in Siebold's ''Nippon''. His professional interest was especially drawn to implements used in the practice of traditional Japanese medicine.Alpen, Jan. (1995) ''Oriental Medicine: An Illustrated Guide to the Asian Arts of Healing,'' p. 7. As of 2005, a separate museum located in one of Siebold's former houses, the

, houses part of the collection.

Leiden plate

The

Leiden plate The Leyden plaque, sometime called Leiden plate or Leiden plaque, is a jadeite belt plate from the early classic period of the Maya civilization. Although the plate was found on the Caribbean coast, it may have been made in Tikal. The plate is ...

is a Maya belt plaque and important historical artifact from

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

. It is depicted on the reverse of a one

Guatemalan quetzal The quetzal (; code: GTQ) is the currency of Guatemala, named after the national bird of Guatemala, the resplendent quetzal. In ancient Mayan culture, the quetzal bird's tail feathers were used as currency. It is divided into 100 ''centavos,'' ...

banknote.

Gallery

File:Museum Volkenkunde Leiden Ganesha beeld op schedels 01.jpg, Stone

Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu d ...

, sitting on a ring of skulls File:Buddha gallery at Museum Volkenkunde.jpg,

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

statues from

, acquired by the museum in 1883 at the International Colonial Trade Exposition in Amsterdam File:Museum Volkenkunde - Buddha - Yakushi Nyorai.jpg, Yakushi Nyorai (the Healing Buddha) – This Buddha (and two other center pieces) originate from a mausoleum for the Togukawa shoguns at the Zōjōji temple in Edo. File:Sculpture of the Mountain of the Immortals (a).jpg, "Mountain of the Immortals", from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

File:Museum Volkenkunde Leiden Kachian Poppetjes 01.jpg,

Pueblo In the Southwestern United States, Pueblo (capitalized) refers to the Native tribes of Puebloans having fixed-location communities with permanent buildings which also are called pueblos (lowercased). The Spanish explorers of northern New Spain ...

Kachina dolls A kachina (; also katchina, katcina, or katsina; Hopi: ''katsina'' , plural ''katsinim'' ) is a spirit being in the religious beliefs of the Pueblo peoples, Native American cultures located in the south-western part of the United States. In t ...

, southwestern

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

File:WLANL - koopmanrob - Krachtfiguren (volkenkunde Leiden).jpg, Nkisi nkondi, (Mangaaka), Central Africa, 1880–1900 CE File:Museum Volkenkunde - Krachtfiguur.jpg, Nkisi nkondi File:Book of Wizards Batak Indonesia.jpg, Book of Wizards of the

Batak Toba people Toba people (Surat Batak: ᯅᯖᯂ᯲ ᯖᯬᯅ) also referred to as Batak Toba people are the largest group of the Batak people of North Sumatra, Indonesia. The common phrase of ‘Batak’ usually refers to the Batak Toba people. This mista ...

of Indonesia File:Antoin Sevruguin 7 Men with live lion.jpg, Men with a live

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. Photograph by

Antoin Sevruguin Antoin Sevruguin ( fa, آنتوان سورگین; 1851–1933) was an Iranian photographer of Armenian- Georgian descent, in Persia during the reign of the Qajar dynasty (1785–1925). Early life Born into a Russian family of Armenian- Georgian o ...

(1830s–1933)

References

* Alpen, Jan van and Anthony Aris. (1995) ''Oriental Medicine: An Illustrated Guide to the Asian Arts of Healing.'' Chicago: Serinda Publications. * Bolitho, Harold. (2003) "Book Review
''Titia: The First Western Woman in Japan'' by Rene P. Bersma,"
''Pacific Affairs,'' Vol. 76, No. 4. pp. 662-663. University of British Columbia. * Carbonell, Bettina Messias. (2004). ''Museum Studies: An Anthology of Contexts.'' New York:

Wiley Wiley may refer to: Locations * Wiley, Colorado, a U.S. town * Wiley, Pleasants County, West Virginia, U.S. * Wiley-Kaserne, a district of the city of Neu-Ulm, Germany People * Wiley (musician), British grime MC, rapper, and producer * Wiley Mil ...

Blackwell Publishing Wiley-Blackwell is an international scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly publishing business of John Wiley & Sons. It was formed by the merger of John Wiley & Sons Global Scientific, Technical, and Medical business with Blackwell Publish ...

. * Frederiks, Johannes Godefridus and F. Jos. van den Branden. (1888). "Johannes Gerhard Frederik van Overmeer Fischer," ''Biographisch woordenboek der Noord- en Zuidnederlandsche letterkunde.'' Amsterdam: L.J. Veen. * Otterspeer, W. (1989). ''Leiden Oriental Connections, 1850-1940,'' Vol. V: Studies in the History of Leiden University. Leiden:

E. J. Brill Brill Academic Publishers (known as E. J. Brill, Koninklijke Brill, Brill ()) is a Dutch international academic publisher founded in 1683 in Leiden, Netherlands. With offices in Leiden, Boston, Paderborn and Singapore, Brill today publishes 275 ...

. (paper) * Siebold, Philipp Franz von. (1843). ''Lettre sur l'utilité des Musées Ethnographiques et sur l'importance de leur création dans états européens qui posèdents des Colonies.'' Paris: Librarie de l'Institut. * Rudolf Effert: ''Royal cabinets and auxiliary branches : origins of the National Museum of Ethnology, 1816-1883''. Leiden, 2008. *

exhibition catalog. (2000). ''A Very Unique Collection of Historical Significance: The Kapitan (the Dutch Chief) Collection from the Edo Period—The Dutch Fascination with Japan.'' Catalog of "400th Anniversary Exhibition Regarding Relations between Japan and the Netherlands," a joint project of the Edo-Tokyo Museum, the City of Nagasaki, the National Museum of Ethnology, the National Natuurhistorisch Museum and the

National Herbarium of the Netherlands National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

, the

. Tokyo. * ''Topstukken van Rijksmuseum Volkenkunde''. KIT Publishers, Amsterdam, 2013.

External links

Website for ''Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde'' (in English)

International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM)
{{Authority control National museums of the Netherlands Museums in Leiden Ethnographic museums in the Netherlands Pre-Columbian art museums Asian art museums in the Netherlands Science and technology in the Netherlands Archaeological museums in the Netherlands Museums established in 1837 1837 establishments in the Netherlands