ABOUT THIS BOOK

A provocative reassessment of a popular narrative that connects museums, the antiquities trade, and theft.

In this thought-provoking new work, historian Justin M. Jacobs challenges the widely accepted belief that much of Western museums’ treasures were acquired by imperialist plunder and theft. The account reexamines the allegedly immoral provenance of Western collections, advocating for a nuanced understanding of how artifacts reached Western shores. Jacobs examines the perspectives of Chinese, Egyptian, and other participants in the global antiquities trade over the past two and a half centuries, revealing that Western collectors were often willingly embraced by locals. This collaborative dynamic, largely ignored by contemporary museum critics, unfolds a narrative of hope and promise for a brighter, more equitable future—a compelling reassessment of one of the institutional pillars of the Enlightenment.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Justin M. Jacobs is professor of history at American University, Washington, DC. His books include The Compensations of Plunder: How China Lost Its Treasures.

REVIEWS

"During the past century or so, an unfortunate dichotomy has developed which divides archaeologists, museums and collectors into two camps. One views them as heroic explorers who rescued long-neglected antiquities that were going to rack and ruin, while the other sees them as rapacious foreign devils grabbing whatever pelf they could acquire for financial gain or imperialistic glory. In this meticulously researched and carefully illustrated volume, historian Jacobs adopts a more balanced, neutral stance which takes a whole panoply of factors into consideration. He convincingly demonstrates that there is no single narrative that can account for the multifarious ways in which archaeological materials ended up in lands other than where they originated, or indeed were destroyed inside the very nations where they were created. Plunder?, rightly posed as a question, provides the reader with a whole range of evidence for complicity from all sides involved in the acquisition."

— Victor H. Mair, professor of Chinese language and literature, University of Pennsylvania

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction Chapter 1: Presents and Plunder Chapter 2: Dealers Chapter 3: Excavations and Expeditions Conclusion References Select Bibliography Acknowledgements Photo Acknowledgements Index