Papers by Miglė Lebednykaitė
Liaudies kultūra, 2016
In commemorating the 150th birth anniversary of Kazys Grinius – the third president of the Republ... more In commemorating the 150th birth anniversary of Kazys Grinius – the third president of the Republic of Lithuania, sixth prime minister, public figure, Righteous Among the Nations, collector – his relationship with folk art is discussed, the history of his collection of Lithuanian aprons is presented. The article reveals the origin of the popularity of holiday aprons in the first decades of the 20th c., how they became a piece of folk art valued by the cultured people of the time and were a collector’s item, a certain benchmark of art, representing Lithuania’s national style. In the 1920s, Joana and Kazys Griniai had gathered an extensive and valuable collection of folk holiday aprons. In 1927, on the basis of K. Grinius’ collection, the first exhibition of Lithuanian aprons was organised in Kaunas, which contributed to the popularity of this area of folk art, expanded its studies. Aprons and other works of folk art represented Lithuania at international exhibitions.
Būdas, 2020
Two folk exhibitions, which took place in Paris - the World Fair in 1900 and the Baltic folk art ... more Two folk exhibitions, which took place in Paris - the World Fair in 1900 and the Baltic folk art exhibition in 1935 — exhibited many examples of Lithuanian folk art from the 19th c.-1930s. Most are currently held at the Museum of Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean (MuCEM) in Marseille and the National Museum of Lithuania (NML), while archival material (photographs, postcards, posters, written documents) are spread out across various museums, archives, and libraries in France, USA, and Lithuania. The article presents the valuable ethnographic collection held at the MuCEM, a collection that has not been widely researched. The scope of the museum’s collection is discussed, an analysis of the Lithuanian apparel and textile collection is carried out and its specific features are revealed. For the first time, iconographic material from the Quai Branly museum in Paris, the MuCEM, and the NML is presented. In 2005, the Musėe de l’Homme in Paris deposited at the MuCEM museum its collection from the Ethnography of European Nations Division. This is how a unique collection of Lithuanian ethnography found its way to Marseille. The 1900 Lithuanian exhibition at the World Fair in Paris was organised with help from the Lithuanian Alliance of America, which later gifted part of the Lithuanian folk artefacts to the The Trocadėro Museum of Ethnography (Musėe d'Ethnographie du Trocadėro), while the rest of the exhibits in 1909-1910 were given to the Lithuanian Scientific Association. This led to the formation of Lithuanian folk collections not only in France but also in Lithuania. The list of Lithuanian ethnographic works deposited by the MuCEM contains a total of 331 exhibits. 255 were found in the museum’s funds and 76 (mainly from the Paris exhibition in 1900) were missing or lost in among exhibits. Photographs of the permanent exhibition of the Human Museum in 1984 show that the Lithuanian kanklės and ceramic dish, exhibited in 1900, received particular attention from the people of France. In 1935, for the permanent exhibition, the following were selected: a whistle in the shape of a ram and three traditional folk sculptures (of St. Jurgis, St. Antanas and the infant Jesus, and the Blessed Virgin Mary).
The second part presents the samples of Lithuanian ethnographic textiles stored by MuCEM and the Lithuanian National Museum (LNM) from the 1900 Paris Exposition. The most valuable exhibits in MuCEM are gloves, delmonai and fabric fragments from Lithuania Minor there are very few clothes and their details from this region in Lithuanian and foreign museums. [From the publication]
Keywords: 1900 world exhibition in Paris; Baltic Folk Art Exhibition in Paris (1935); Euro - Mediterranean; Lithuanian National Museum; Lithuanian folk art; M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art; M. M. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art; Museum of Civilizations in Marseille (MuCEM); Museum of Euro-Mediterranean Civilizations in Marseille (MuCEM); Museum of Man in Paris; Traditional folk clothing; Trocadero Ethnography Museum; Trocadero Museum of Ethnography.
Acta Academiae Artium Vilnensis, 2019
There has not been much academic research into how the artefacts of orientalist art ended up in L... more There has not been much academic research into how the artefacts of orientalist art ended up in Lithuanian museums, libraries and private collections, and how they are represented. This paper raises the question of the Far Eastern art heritage in Lithuania, and addresses the problems of artistic attribution. The paper analyses the case of the Chinese woodblock prints—nianhua (年画), or the so-called “New Year images”—stored in the orientalist art collections of the Lithuanian National Museum of Art (LNMA) and M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art. The collections contain seven nianhua prints of this particular format and style. The research has successfully decoded the Chinese inscriptions; specified and determined the titles of the prints; attributed the prints to specific printmaking schools and workshops; identified the theatrical motifs with their corresponding literary sources and Peking opera productions; elaborated on the characters and their various properties; specified the meanings of the allegories, emblems, scenographic makeup, and costumes; and defined the particularities of artistic expression. The paper combined iconographic, historical and comparative methodologies, and carried out a partial research on the artistic style. Compared to the Chinese graphic art collections in the museums abroad, the works stored in LNMA and M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art are not as numerous, yet they are arguably just as rare and valuable. The prints are unique in their form, aesthetic value, and artistic technique. All prints are attributed to the famous Yangliuqing school and dated to the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. They are all in good condition, and some of them are professionally restored. This first attempt to identify and introduce the Chinese woodblock prints from the orientalist art collections of Lithuanian museums is intended to inspire further research, promote the museum collections, and give an impetus to expand them. The research aims to bring a wider knowledge about the theatre-themed prints that reflect the whole complex of Chinese spiritual culture to the contemporary audience. [From the publication]
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Papers by Miglė Lebednykaitė
The second part presents the samples of Lithuanian ethnographic textiles stored by MuCEM and the Lithuanian National Museum (LNM) from the 1900 Paris Exposition. The most valuable exhibits in MuCEM are gloves, delmonai and fabric fragments from Lithuania Minor there are very few clothes and their details from this region in Lithuanian and foreign museums. [From the publication]
Keywords: 1900 world exhibition in Paris; Baltic Folk Art Exhibition in Paris (1935); Euro - Mediterranean; Lithuanian National Museum; Lithuanian folk art; M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art; M. M. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art; Museum of Civilizations in Marseille (MuCEM); Museum of Euro-Mediterranean Civilizations in Marseille (MuCEM); Museum of Man in Paris; Traditional folk clothing; Trocadero Ethnography Museum; Trocadero Museum of Ethnography.
The second part presents the samples of Lithuanian ethnographic textiles stored by MuCEM and the Lithuanian National Museum (LNM) from the 1900 Paris Exposition. The most valuable exhibits in MuCEM are gloves, delmonai and fabric fragments from Lithuania Minor there are very few clothes and their details from this region in Lithuanian and foreign museums. [From the publication]
Keywords: 1900 world exhibition in Paris; Baltic Folk Art Exhibition in Paris (1935); Euro - Mediterranean; Lithuanian National Museum; Lithuanian folk art; M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art; M. M. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art; Museum of Civilizations in Marseille (MuCEM); Museum of Euro-Mediterranean Civilizations in Marseille (MuCEM); Museum of Man in Paris; Traditional folk clothing; Trocadero Ethnography Museum; Trocadero Museum of Ethnography.