Provenance

Cordia americana, C. saccelia and C. trichotoma are native trees of the subtropical Andean forests of Argentina. Due to their high value as a wood source, these species are under threat from the over-exploitation of their populations and from changes in land use. Knowledge of seed biology may contribute to clarifying their regeneration ecology and establishing management policies and conservation programmes. We studied seed mass, seed germination, seed desiccation tolerance and seed storage behaviour in seeds from different populations of each species. Seed mass differed among the populations of each species. For C. americana and C. saccelia, germination percentages (GP) varied among populations and light and temperature conditions. For all species and populations, GP was not affected by seed population or desiccation treatments, but the time to germination (t 50) increased after drying. GP decreased and t 50 increased in seeds stored with 8-10% MC at 35°C for three months for all species and populations. Seeds stored with 8-10% MC at 20°C and with 3-5% MC at 35°C also showed deterioration depending on the species. Differences in germination requirements, desiccation tolerance and storage behaviour were not related to seed mass. These results indicate that (1) all Cordia species seeds show orthodox storage behaviour, (2) both moisture content and temperature are key factors in Cordia seed storage and (3) some populations within a species are more sensitive to desiccation and storage conditions than others. Thus, these species and populations could be preserved in seed banks, but the germination, desiccation and storage behaviour variability among populations must be considered before germination and storage protocols are established. This information will be very useful for designing restoration, reforestation, plant propagation and in situ and ex situ conservation programmes for these Cordia species.

Sediment geochemistry is a powerful tool to investigate earth surface processes because sediments record geochemical signatures of their provenance, generation, transport, deposition, and environmental conditions. A significant advancement in the technology of analytical geochemistry has made geochemical analyses of sediments more rapid and precise, which together provided an impetus to the study of sediment system. As a result, high-quality research papers on sediment geochemistry have been published during the last five years from India. A foreseeable growth of research and an increase in the publication are likely in the future because of the new setups of state-of the-art analytical instruments for geochemical research at various research and academic institutions in India. Here we are presenting the published important work on sediment geochemistry under three categories, i.e., weathering, erosion, deposition and provenance determination; sediment geochemistry as palaeoclimate proxy; and environmental geochemistry.

This 2nd edition of the internationally acclaimed guide to forensic stable isotope analysis uses real-world examples to bridge discussions of the basic science, instrumentation and analytical techniques underlying forensic isotope profiling and its various technical applications. Case studies describe an array of applications, many of which were developed by the author himself. They include cases in which isotope profiling was used in murder, and drugs-related crime investigations, as well as for pharmaceutical and food authenticity control studies.

Updated with coverage of exciting advances occurring in the field since the publication of the 1st edition, this 2nd edition explores innovative new techniques and applications in forensic isotope profiling, as well as key findings from original research. More than a simple update, though, this edition has been significantly revised in order to address serious problems that can arise from non-comparable and unfit-for-purpose stable isotope data. To that end, Part II has been virtually rewritten with greater emphasis now being placed on important quality control issues in stable isotope analysis in general and forensic stable isotope analysis in particular.

This study presents a geochemical investigation of Tikak Parbat and Tipam Sandstone Formations occurring in and around Dilli area, Sivasagar, Assam. Petrographically Tikak Parbat and Tipam sandstones are mainly quartzose arenite to sublitharenite types with their constituents being derived from recycled orogen provenance under sub-humid to humid climatic conditions. Geochemically, sandstones of both the formations range from sublitharenite to wacke. They indicate a recycled orogen source and influence of humid to arid condition. Source rocks of Tikak Parbat sandstones were more weathered than the Tipam sandstones. While Tikak Parbat sandstones show affinity towards passive margin, Tipam sandstones hint at active continental margin setup, where clasts were supplied from uplifted areas. Upliftment of provenance covering areas of Naga Patkai Range in the south east and Eastern Himalayas along the syntaxial bend during mid Miocene affected the sandstones. Tikak Parbat sandstones reflect a stable tectonic setup which later underwent a phase of volatility leading to deposition of the Tipam sandstones. Our study supports a sediment supply from the upper continental crust, largely of granitic composition, however, with a significant variation in their depth of source supply. Trace element analyses indicate depositional setup with low ventilation marked by both oxic and anoxic phases.

A new research privacy preserving data mining develop due to the recent advanced in data mining, security technologies. The basic concept of PPDM is to correct the data in such a way so as to perform data mining algorithms definitely without mean the security of sensitive information contained in the data. PPDM mainly target on how to decrease the privacy danger brought by data mining operations, while in fact, undesirable acknowledgement of sensitive information may also appear in the process of data gathering, data announcing and information distributing. This paper deals with the privacy issues related to data mining from a view point and examine various approaches that can help to protect sensitive information. In particular, identify four different types of users involved in data mining applications. For each type of user, consider the privacy concerns and the methods that can be accepted to preserve sensitive information.

The petrographic and geochemical composition of the Dharla River sediments has been examined to infer their sediment type, degree of weathering, provenance, and tectonic settings. Petrographically the sediments are characterized by the high quartz content (64.97 to 74.24 wt%), followed by feldspar (7.04 to 15.20 wt%), mica (5.38 to 19.92 wt%), lithic fragment (3.46 to 8.14 wt%), and heavy minerals (1.98 to 6.94 wt%). Geochemical composition shows marked enrichment of SiO 2 (mean ~ 74.16%) and a strong negative correlation with the other major oxides because of quartz dilution. The Chemical index of alteration (CIA, 45.52 to 63.51); Plagioclase index of alteration (PIA, 43.13 to 66.55); W index (20.15 to 32.86) and Rb/Sr ratios (0.35 to 0.98) suggest low to moderate intensity of chemical weathering in the source area. Geochemical classifications of the studied samples show mostly litharenitic immature type of sediments also reflects high index of compositional variability (ICV, 0.96 to 1.72). The ternary diagrams of Al 2 O 3-(CaO + Na 2 O)-K 2 O (or A-CN-K) and of mafic rocks, felsic rocks and degree of weathering of the source rocks (or MFW) and several immobile trace element ratios (e.g. light rare earth element/heavy rare earth element or LREE

Detrital sand grains from three beaches (Tecolutla,
Nautla, and Veracruz) along the western Gulf of Mexico were
studied by a scanning electron microscope, to investigate the
depositional environment and paleoclimate. Totally, 24
microtextures are identified; among them, 13 are grouped as
mechanical origin, 5 as mechanical and/or chemical origin, and
6 as chemical origin. These microtextures are nonuniformly
distributed among the three beach areas. Concoidal fractures,
straight and arcuate steps at Tecolutla and Veracruz beaches
indicate that the sand grains were derived from the crystalline
rocks. The abundance of angular outline grains at the Nautla
beach supports for short transportation probably close to the
source area. The domination of rounded sand grains in the
Veracruz beach reveals that the sediments were derived by
the aeolian mechanism. Chattermark trials at the Veracruz
beach sands are indicating a wet tropical climate. Chemical
features like silica globules, silica pellicle, and trapped diatoms
in the Tecolutla and Veracruz beach sands suggest a silica
saturated environment. Similarly, chemical etching and solution
pits are common in the Veracruz beach sands, which are
probably linked to the contaminated sea water. Desiccation
crack at Veracruz beach sands is an indicator of temperature
changes in the beach environment. Broken benthonic foraminifera Elphidium discoidale sp. present in the Veracruz beach indicates a high-energy littoral environment.

Provenance research,  use of inventories, and acquisitions journals:
Kartellen  ·  Erwerbungsbücher  ·  Erwerbungsakten  ·  Inventarbücher  ·  Das  Lesen  von Erwerbungsnummern ·  Erwerbungsformulare (chronologisch absteigend) ·  Historische Inventare des Münzkabinetts 1616–1868 ·  Fallbeispiel.

Criminal records are highly sensitive public records. By incorporating criminal records in a blockchain, authenticity and rigidity of records can be maintained; which also helps to keep the data safe from adversaries. A peer to peer cloud network enables the decentralization of data. It helps prevent unlawful changes in the data. This paper introduces a criminal record storage system by implementing blockchain technology to store the data, which helps to attain integrity and security. Our system presents ways in which the authority can maintain the records of criminals efficiently. Authorities (e.g., Law enforcement agencies and courts) will be able to add and access criminal data. General users (e.g., selected organizations and/or individuals, airports, visa application centers etc.) will have access to the data so that they can look up criminal records. Proper and timely access to authentic criminal records is essential to enforce the law. The effect of corruption on the law enforcement forces will also decrease, as this will cut off an entire scope of corruption by removing any possibility of tampering with criminal records data by thorough accountability.

A pesar de que el maíz es uno de los cultivos más estudiados en la actualidad, resulta de gran importancia conocer su origen y clasificación, así como la clasificación de las razas existentes en el mundo. Cuba cuenta con una gran diversidad de maíces, que pertenecen a siete grupos raciales con amplia distribución en el país.

The National Gallery in Ljubljana keeps a portrait previously known as the Portrait of a Noblewoman, which has been accompanied by an unsupported claim that it represents a lady from the Auersperg family ever since its first public presentation. A comparative analysis of the portraits of the members of the Styrian princely family of Eggenberg showed that the portrait depicts Eleonora Maria Rosalia Princess of Eggenberg (1647−1703). Based on the princess’ hairstyle, the so-called à la hurluberlu, which came into fashion at the French court after 1671, it was possible to date the portrait rather accurately. A comparison of this and another portrait of the princess with concurrent depictions of Inner Austrian high nobility shows that in the search for the author, it might be reasonable to re-discuss the role of the Netherlandish painter Herman Verelst who was active from 1676 to 1684 in Carniola and Vienna and who – as is now established – painted a portrait of one of the members of the Eggenberg family. The mysterious painter Almanach, whose archivally documented portrait painting has long eluded more detailed research studies and conclusions owing to anonymity, should be taken into consideration as well.
The portraits of the Princess of Eggenberg, kept at the Český Krumlov Castle, have been present in literature, however, until now, their function was merely illustrative. Stylistic and iconographic analyses show that they are extremely representative portraits, emphasising the princely honour, excellency, and financial welfare of the portrayed. Based on the analysis of the fashion and hairstyle, the previously accepted datation of the older one and its pendant can be moved towards the second half of the 1660s, whereas the newer portrait can be dated around or in 1682. In determining the authorship of these portraits based on comparative analysis, it would be advisable to take into account the possibility that the portraits were commissioned from the Netherlandish painter Herman Verelst or maybe from the mysterious painter Almanach. The paper also includes a newly identified portrait of the Princess from a private collection, which was painted almost simultaneously as the newer portrait from the Český Krumlov Castle and which draws attention to close ties between the representatives of the highest classes of Inner Austrian nobility.
In the last 30 years of her life, the Princess was connected to the Slovenian space, since her husband became Landeshauptmann of Carniola in 1673, and in 1692, their son Johann Anton II Prince of Eggenberg (1669–1716) took over the function. The analysis of her life and work shows that as the eldest daughter of Karl Eusebius Prince of Liechtenstein, one of the most important collectors and art lovers in the Empire, she had a strong influence on her husband in the area of art commissions. She was highly educated and, moreover, her father was well aware of the importance of his art collections in confirming his princely status, so he tried to instil in his heirs the love of beautiful and valuable things. He opined that the knowledge of architecture was especially useful and commendable, as he thought that architecture was the most important among the arts and simply not known well enough. According to him, each Princess had to be able to discuss this beautiful art, as well as advise her princely husband. Eleonora’s husband Johann Seyfried was a generous patron and commissioner, while he is also known as the most enthusiastic art collector among the Eggenbergs. His patronage and collecting was undoubtedly influenced by his father-in-law Karl Eusebius as well as by his educated and sophisticated wife Eleonora Maria Rosalia.

The first catalogue raisonné of Rembrandt’s paintings was established by the London art dealer John Smith. Published in 1836, it originated as part of a larger series, itself motivated by the author’s endeavour to transcend his daily business while at the same time aiming to combine 'pleasure and profit'. Investigating Smith’s connoisseurial practices, this essay looks at his surviving correspondence and unpublished, hitherto unexamined archival materials. Among these are the notebooks which Smith kept during his many travels in Great Britain and on the continent. The archival record also shows that a systematic consultation of auction catalogues was of particular importance for Smith. The manner in which he arrived at his judgments – though clearly shaped by a specific commercial context – speaks of a truly personal style. Finally, the article also publishes an unknown portrait of Smith.

The study of Indian Art has been the constant focus of various art historians around the world  since the colonial times. A significant body of textual sources coupled with substantial secondary research, therefore, exists before researchers studying various aspects of Indian art, such as, relief and stand-alone sculptures, frescoes, miniature paintings among others. Consequently, the scope of error in terms of understanding and classifying the art thematically has also increased manifold. This erroneous interpretation is partly a result of faulty translations of underlying philosophical terms such as ‘rasa’, ‘tantra’ or affixing the names such as prasadhika or nayika, without fully understanding their etymological connotations. Equally responsible is the heavy reliance on secondary sources instead of consulting primary sources, not just in the case of researchers but also on the part of the museums.

The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to look into the nayika paintings and attempt to provide a solution to this problem with the help of a quantitative method of studying miniature paintings, which can be useful in generating rigorous data, easily accessible for similar approaches and can enable quantifiable conclusions, significant for both archaeological and art-historical discourses. It may be noted that whilst the case study focuses largely on a selective number of samples housed in the National Museum, New Delhi, the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh, the Lahore Museum and the Himachal State Museum, Shimla, especially, focusing on samples that were wrongly identified and provenanced, thus, a similar approach
can be applied to miniature paintings of any theme, type or school of art.

Die Masterthesis untersucht die Debatten um sogenannte "koloniale Objekte" im Musée du Quai Branly (Paris) und im noch entstehenden Humboldt-Forum (Berlin). Dabei vergleicht sie gleichermaßen die Institutionen selbst wie auch die Debatten um sie – immer mit Blick auf den Umgang mit den sogenannten kolonialen Objekten. Sie thematisiert die Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede der beiden Museen in der Behandlung von Objekten aus kolonialen Kontexten und analysiert deren Rezeption in Öffentlichkeit, Presse und Fachwelt.

The convoluted post-war history of artworks forming part of the Royal Castle
in Warsaw collection highlights the assorted form and manner of delivering the
idea of restituting the royal collection. The notion of restitution was applied in
conservation concepts for the Royal Castle in Warsaw in the year 1973, and duly
referenced for purposes of restoring the castle as a symbol – the seat of supreme
state authorities – by reconstructing the edifice itself and recouping royal collections,
primarily those owned by Poland’s last king, Stanislaus Augustus.
The purpose of this paper was to present the process of restituting Royal
Castle in Warsaw collections by describing the individual methods applied: postwar
reclamations and transfers to allow reconstruction and refurbishment of
individual rooms; purchases and – no less importantly – bequests and donations
(including the most valuable gift, presented by Karolina Lanckorońska);
and foundation-based compilations placed in Castle deposit (i.e. respective
Foundations of the Ciechanowiecki Collection, Teresa Sahakian’s Collection and
Tomasz Niewodniczański’s Collection). The abundance of provenance-related
issues relating to the contemporary Royal Castle in Warsaw collection reflects
the post-war history of numerous museum institutions, while allowing deliberations
whether processes involved with delivering the idea of restituting collections
involved a coherent assembling policy, or were they rather a sequence
of fortunate coincidences.

Publikasi provenan batupasir vulkanik formasi Semilir yang diendapkan pada submarine fan masih
terbatas. Komposisi batupasir Formasi Semilir dianalisa menggunakan teknik sayatan tipis dan klasifikasi
Dickinson & Suczek (1979) untuk menentukan sumber batuan dan susunan tektoniknya.
Dua belas  sampel dianalisa dengan metode point counting untuk mendapatkan komposisi mineralogi.
Hasil analisa diplot pada segitiga diagram QFL dan QmFL Dickinson & Suczek (1979). Penelitian ini juga
menggunakan klasifikasi kuarsa Krynine (1940) untuk membedakan antara kuarsa vulkanik dan kuarsa plutonik.
Kuarsa vulkanik dicirikan dengan struktur embayment, bentuk pipih memanjang dan berbentuk hexagonal
idiomorfik sedangkan kuarsa batuan plutonik dicirikan dengan xenomorphic, monokristalin dan bentuk
memanjang yang meyudut di kedua tepi dengan sedikit lekukan.
Hasil analisis petrografi menunjukkan bahwa komposisi batupasir Semilir terdiri dari mineral kuarsa
yang berasal dari batuan beku vulkanik sebesar 1.8 % - 20 %, batuan beku plutonik sebesar 0.2 % - 2 %, mineral
opak sebesar 23 % - 67 % dan mineral feldspar sebesar 16 % - 62 %. Berdasarkan hasil analisa tersebut,
kedudukan tektonika provenan batupasir Semilir  berasal dari Transition Arc dalam sistem busur magmatik.

Various red, black and grey 'Belgian marbles' (coloured dense fossiliferous Palaeozoic limestones suitable for polishing - 'calcaires marbriers') decorated private and public buildings as well as sanctuaries within and beyond the civitas Tungrorum. These hard limestones have all been quarried in southern Belgium, at the heart of the civitas. For their transport, trade and distribution, fluvial routes were most probably used. The 'Belgian marbles' have been employed as tesserae in mosaics, opus sectile, marble veneers and various smooth or sculptured wall and floor decorative elements. The strongly veined Gris des Ardennes and the wild cherry-red Rouge de Rance were the most popular ones, whereas the spotles black de Namur 'marble' was preferentially used in floor mosaics in combination with white tesserae.  The grey Meuse limestone was the most commonly used decorative stone showing a broad spectrum of applications. In this paper, the geographical-geological provenances and stratigraphical assignments of the 'Belgian marbles' (and related limestones) are discussed, whereas an overview is given of their major macroscopical-microscopical characteristics and known distribution.

Roman Ornamental Stones in North-Western Europe. Natural Resources, Manufacturing, Supply, Life & After-Life, Coquelet C., Creemers G., Dreesen R. & Goemaere E. (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Conference 'Roman Ornamental Stones in North-Western Europe, Tongeren', 20-22 April 2016. Available in the museum's shop.

My Mother's Village is a personal documentary response to The Sri Lanka Series (1980), a series of ethnographic films produced by the author's anthropologist mother, Sharon Bell, and filmmaker father, Geoff Burton. Four women, a community of fishermen, and a dance instructor were the 'subjects' of their three films. The feature length film My Mother's Village revisits the same participants in Sri Lanka and pursues the original themes and issues, such as economic conditions, the status of women, colonialism, religion, ritual, and inter-generational change. My Mother's Village explores how both the filmmaker and participants are navigating heredity and inheritance.

Supplementing the film, the exegesis component, Provenance in Personal Documentary interrogates the conceptual underpinnings of the creative research. 'Provenance', the key concept informing the production of My Mother's Village is a fine art term specifically ‘repractised’ and retheorised here. It is hypothesised that cross-disciplinary personal documentary production is a fertile environment that responds to increasingly accessible technologies and progressive interpretations of what contemporary ‘documentary’ means. This research project responds to the lack of a critical framework for interpreting and developing inter-disciplinary documentary praxis. The experimental methods employed in the provenance of My Mother's Village extend to the adoption of an auto-ethnographic and autobiographical mode of storytelling in this exegesis. This marriage of creativity and scholarly research is further reflected in the relationship between the exegesis and corresponding personal documentary film production.

The provenance of My Mother's Village reveals an historical convergence of 20th century documentary traditions of photography, cinema, and visual ethnography. The convergence of these traditions in the contemporary art context echoes Walter Benjamin's observations of the shifting nature of art in the 20th century. Provenance, in Benjamin's revolutionary context, transgresses the 'aura', market valuation, and ownership of art objects to a dynamic understanding of processes, intentions, and storytelling throughout artistic production. This investigation finds that personal documentary modes account for this shifting paradigm in visual arts and offer ethical and creative methodologies for inter-disciplinary visual research. In the current global technological landscape of data-streams and personal media devices, provenance encourages a sensuous topography of encounter, contingency, boredom, and experiment.

British Institute of Persian Studies (BIPS) Seminar
Wednesday 20 July 2022
5pm (GMT)
Zoom Webinar

Registration:

https://www.bips.ac.uk/event/the-mobility-of-persian-artefacts-the-sanguszko-carpet-in-motion/

*****
Originally woven in Iran during the sixteenth century, one of the most celebrated classical Persian carpets to survive today — the “Sanguszko Carpet”, currently housed at the Miho Museum in Japan — made an extraordinary intercontinental journey. It found its way to Europe during the early modern period and continued its journey across the Atlantic Ocean in the early twentieth century; furthermore, it went on an odyssey across the Pacific Ocean afterwards. In this illustrated talk, Yuka Kadoi makes a fresh analysis of the sociocultural migratory journey of the Sanguszko Carpet, while shedding new light on the mechanisms of cross-continental object sharing and networking across different oceanic spheres.

In the summer of 1911, after having created the first of his now-acclaimed ‘metaphysical’ paintings, the modern Italian painter Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978) left Florence for Paris, where he went on to produce some of his most celebrated early works. There, between the autumn of 1912 and the spring of 1914, he placed himself within the orbit of the Parisian avant-garde, exhibiting twice in the juried Salon d’Automne and twice in the unjuried Salon des Indépendants, where he attracted the notice of cultural luminaries such as Picasso and Apollinaire. In the absence of illustrated catalogues, the artist’s salon submissions are known solely by their titles, which in certain instances correspond to more than one work. This article presents hitherto unconsidered primary evidence, both textual and pictorial, that problematises two longstanding assumptions surrounding the painter’s early exhibition history.

During the Early modern age, the Society of Jesus was the religious institution that, more than any other, linked its reason for existence to the world of the book. Indeed between the Sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries, Jesuit founded some of the richest and most highly organized libraries of the Christian world. By analyzing archival documentation, in large part unpublished, this work navigates and delves into the twists and turns of Jesuit library history. In doing so it seeks, for the very first time, to reconstruct the operations and affairs of the library institutions of the Societas Iesu. By employing a unique historical-thematic structure, the distinct characteristics of Jesuit collections are revealed, and the library practices of the order, prior to the papal suppression of 1773, are reconstructed. The case of Perugia ultimately offers a prime example of a true Jesuit library. Through the analysis of unpublished sources, as well as the Jesuit bibliographic patrimony presently archived at the Biblioteca Comunale Augusta, the organizational and functional history of this “militant” library is traced from its origins to the eighteenth century suppression. A complex history, constructed by books and people, is brought to light, through an articulated bibliographic and document-based excavation, that offers the reader a fine example of one of the most significant cultural realities of the Age of typography.

La Compagnia di Gesù fu l’istituzione religiosa che più di ogni altra in Età moderna legò la sua ragion d’essere al mondo del libro. Tra Cinque e Seicento i padri gesuiti costituirono dunque alcune delle più ricche e meglio organizzate biblioteche del mondo cristiano. Avvalendosi di una documentazione in larga misura inedita, l’opera si addentra nei meandri della storia bibliotecaria ignaziana cercando di ripercorrere per la prima volta in maniera organica le vicende degli istituti librari della Societas Iesu. Attraverso un apposito itinerario storico-tematico vengono delineati i caratteri peculiari delle antiche raccolte gesuitiche, ricostruendo così la viva esperienza bibliotecaria dell’ordine prima della soppressione clementina del 1773. Il caso di Perugia, infine, costituisce un esempio perfetto di cosa fosse realmente una biblioteca ignaziana. Grazie all’analisi incrociata delle fonti documentarie inedite con quella del patrimonio bibliografico ex-gesuitico conservato oggi presso la Biblioteca Comunale Augusta, viene ripercorsa la storia organizzativa e funzionale di questa biblioteca “militante” dalle origini fino alla soppressione settecentesca. Una storia complessa, fatta di libri ma anche di uomini, riportata alla luce grazie a un articolato lavoro di scavo documentario e bibliografico che offre al lettore un esempio virtuoso di una tra le più importanti realtà culturali dell’età tipografica.

Monastery library of Order of Hermits of Saint Augustin in Prague is an outstanding book collection of considerable scientific and historical value. Nowadays, it consists of more than 18 000 volumes. Saint Thomas Monastery was founded by Wenceslaus II. in 1278 and had, from the very beginning, a leading role among other monasteries of this order in Bohemia. From the early 14th century, an Augustinian university was run there – as the only one in vast province of Bavaria, to which Bohemia belonged. In the 17th century, an independent Bohemian province was established and Saint Thomas Monastery became a natural center of it. This thesis aims to provide an overview of a history of the library and to introduce significant members of the Augustinian order, who contributed to development (in the time of prosperity) of the library. The author is particularly focused on early modern period, to which scholars have not paid attention yet, and events connected to the end of the Thirty Years War, when, as it was assumed in the past, the library sustained big damage. Apart from that, everyday interest and care for books and libraries inside the order will be characterized and the cultural and historical impact of the library of Saint Thomas convent will also be emphasized.
Origins and medieval period of the library are described in indirect sources only, i. e. on the contemporary book catalogs, as nothing from the medieval collection stayed preserved. History of the library in early modern period is based on records from the monastery chronicals and other archival sources, the study of secondary literature and results of provenience research of the preserved collection.
After a brief introduction of Order of Hermits of Saint Augustin and its activity in the Czech lands, a part follows which is dedicated to the relationship of Augustinians to books in general. The core of the thesis consists of a history of the monastery library and of information about several members of the order with special significance for development of the library (Mikuláš Teschl from Louny, Johannes Klenkok, Hieronymus Ebenauer, Paladius Küttl, Cosmas Schmalfus, Guillelmus Dienzenhoffer, Aloysius Ficker). The thesis contains even the catalogue of more then 150 incunabulas.
During the research the author did not come to a definitive answer to question how events in the end of Thirty Years War actually influenced development of the library, i. e. whether confiscations of the Swedish army has been as devastating as some authors in the past have claimed to be.

The Lost Manuscripts from the Sistine Chapel: An Epic Journey from Rome to Toledo is an exhibition that focuses on the codices from the sacristy of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. These richly illustrated manuscripts were originally used by generations of popes, cardinals, archbishops, and bishops in the Catholic Church to celebrate liturgical services in the Papal Chapel. In 1798, the entire collection was dispersed during the French occupation of Rome, and many of the codices were subsequently broken apart and stripped of their miniatures. Today, the resulting fragments can be found in various private and public collections around the world.

Over the centuries, Western connoisseurs honed a fascination for objects from Asia, Africa, the Americas and the Pacific, many of which are part of public and private collections today. What trajectories did they follow, how were they acquired and dispersed? With the era of European expansion, a growing number of extra-European artefacts entered Western markets. Some were legally bought, others were plundered or appropriated in asymmetric power contexts during the colonial era. Subsequently, new market structures emerged in response to European and North American demands. This book provides insights into the methods and places of exchange, networks, prices, expertise, and valuation concepts, as well as the transfer of these artefacts. It focuses on interrelations and connections between art markets and collectors from the late modern period through to the mid-twentieth century.

During the first half of the eighteenth century, before its dispersal in a memorable Florentine auction of 1852, the Rinuccini collection underwent a decisive evolution under the aegis of Marchese Folco and his sons Carlo and Alessandro. Specific analysis of their acquisitions of Neapolitan painting and identification of works currently housed in various museums reveals that the family was in step with the period’s most advanced trends in taste. Folco Rinuccini took part in the division of the collection of the Marchese Del Carpio in Florence, acquiring notable works, and his son Alessandro, who had moved to Naples, subsequently made important purchases in situ. Finally, Carlo saw to the aggrandizement of the family in Florence through shrewd cultural politics, culminating in the restructuring of the Palazzo Rinuccini and the exhibition at Santissima Annunziata in 1737.