KuK Tuesdays: Dislocation and Crowns

With:
Dr. Falk Quenstedt (Universität Greifswald)
Tevodai Mambai (Universität Bern / Museum der Kulturen Basel)
Dr. Feng Schöneweiß (Kunsthistorisches Institut Florenz / Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte)
Moderated by Dr. des. Mikaél Assilkinga (Linden-Museum Stuttgart/TU Berlin) and Dr. des. Iñigo Salto Santamaría (TU Berlin)

A crown is one of the ultimate symbols of a ruler’s power. But what happens when crowns and other objects of power are translocated and become museum artifacts? And how do the circumstances of this transition shape the way these objects are perceived (or forgotten) today?

German and European museums are filled with objects of power. In their diversity, they collectively present a dignified perspective on a glorious past and in some cases still living cultures, their costly materials reflecting prestige and authority. At the same time, these museums have amassed, stored, and now display regalia that were violently seized from other cultures in the context of colonialism. These collections are embedded in debates about restricted access, loss of function, and possible restitution.

Questions of legitimacy and restitution surrounding objects of power cut across institutional boundaries, affecting both European and non-European collections. Restitution debates have even shaped nationalistic claims around key artifacts, such as the regalia of the Holy Roman Empire, now housed in Vienna. At the same time, recent developments in these discussions have led to the temporary reactivation of certain artifacts, as seen in the case of the Mandu Yenu at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin.

This session will explore transcultural approaches to objects of power across different geographies and contexts, with a particular focus on the shared fate of “Cameroonian” and “German” regalia in museum settings. By examining these objects through the lens of their materiality and their presence in European institutions, we will discuss how regional and national histories are constructed through objects of power, as well as the interplay between the sacred and the secular in their original contexts and after their musealization. Our aim is to move beyond comparisons based on original function and instead explore the methodological challenges and possibilities of a transcultural approach to objects of power and their provenance.