Name: Simran Choudhary
Roll no.:22/418
Semester: 5th
Course: BA English (hons.)
Subject: (Sec) Museum and museology
Submitted to: Ashish Tripathi
Write short notes on:
[Link] Museum
[Link]
[Link] MUSEUM
The National Museum is located in the heart of New Delhi, the capital of India.
Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, former Prime Minister of India, laid the foundation of the present
building, on the 12 May 1955, and the first phase was completed by June 1960.
The conception, however, goes back to the year 1946, when the blueprint for establishing a
National Museum in Delhi was prepared by the Gwyer Committee, set up by the Government
of India. From 29 November 1947 to 29 February 1948, a seminal exhibition titled ‘Exhibition
of Indian Art’ was held in Burlington House, London. The exhibition displayed selected
artefacts from various museums of India and was sponsored by the Royal Academy (London)
with the cooperation of the governments of India and Britain.
The collection exhibited at Burlington House was later showcased in the staterooms of the
Rashtrapati Bhawan (President’s House), New Delhi from 6 November to 31 December 1948.
This initiative turned out to be a great success and the event became the first step towards
the creation of the National Museum.
On 15 August 1949, the Governor General of India, Shri R.C. Rajagopalachari, formally
inaugurated the National Museum Today the Museum holds approximately 2,00,000 objects
representative of Indian and world history. The objects cover a time span of more than 5,000
years of Indian cultural heritage. The museum has several collections related to specialised
fields.
The National Museum has the world’s most representative collection of antiquities of the
Harappan Civilisation––over 3500 objects that are on ‘permanent loan’ from the
Archaeological Survey of India to the Museum.
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Museumology is a study of museum, their history and the management of the Museum. It
explores the history of museums and their role in society, as well as the activities they engage
in, including curating, preservation, public programming, and education. Fundamental
objective of museology is collection, preservation and management of tangible and
intangible form of natural, historical, cultural and scientific objects as well as intellectual
work and knowledge for education.
Aspects of museology are as follows: -
(a) Collection
“A collection is a group of objects, artifacts, or items gathered and preserved for their
historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural significance.”
Types of Collections:
1. Artistic (paintings, sculptures, etc.)
2. Historical (artifacts from historical events/periods)
3. Cultural (objects representing cultural traditions)
4. Scientific (specimens, instruments, data)
5. Archaeological (artifacts)
(b) Preservation
Preservation in the context of museology refers to the actions taken to protect and conserve
artifacts, objects, and cultural heritage for future generations.
Types of Preservation:
1. Physical Preservation: Protecting artifacts from damage, deterioration, and decay.
2. Intellectual Preservation: Documenting and interpreting artefacts significance and
context.
3. Digital Preservation: Preserving digital artifacts and collections.
(c) Exploration
Exploration in Museology:
Exploration refers to the process of discovering, researching, and interpreting artifacts,
collections, and cultural heritage.
Types of Exploration:
1. Physical Exploration: Examining artifacts, sites, and monuments.
2. Intellectual Exploration: Researching historical, cultural, and scientific contexts.
3. Digital Exploration: Analysing digital collections, databases, and online resources.
Some of the aspects of Exploration:
Discovery: Identifying new artifacts, sites, or information.
Documentation: Recording findings, creating catalogues, and databases.
Analysis: Interpreting artifacts, contexts, and cultural significance.
Interpretation: Presenting findings to diverse audiences.
(d) Excavation
The act of removing earth that is covering very old objects buried in the ground in order to
discover things about the past.
(e) Identification
Identification in museology and archaeology refers to the process of determining the
characteristics, origins, and significance of artifacts, objects, or cultural remains.
Types of Identification:
1. Visual identification: Examining artifacts physical characteristics.
2. Scientific identification: Analysing artifacts using scientific techniques (e.g., radiocarbon
dating, DNA analysis).
3. Historical identification: Researching artifacts historical context.
4. Cultural identification: Understanding artifacts cultural significance.