Systematic provenance research at the Archaeological Museum Frankfurt into acquisitions between 1933 and 1945

The Archaeological Museum Frankfurt (AMF) presents, preserves and researches the archaeology and history of the city of Frankfurt am Main and its surrounding area – from the Palaeolithic through to the early modern period. As well as being the archive for all of Frankfurt’s archaeological finds, it holds important collections from classical antiquity and the archaeology of the ancient Near East. Originally the "Archaeological Department" of the Historical Museum founded in 1878, it became independent in 1937 as the Museum für heimische Vor- und Frühgeschichte [Museum of Local Prehistory and Early History]. After an eventful history in the 1940s and 1950s, the museum has been known as the Archaeological Museum Frankfurt since 2002.

Initial research in the files and accession registers of the Archaeological Museum Frankfurt revealed various cases of cultural property under suspicion of being of having Nazi-era provenance among its collection holdings. Based on these suspicious cases, all archaeological objects accessioned by the museum between 1933 and 1945 were systematically recorded and their provenance examined.

241 accessions were examined, consisting of some 3,234 individual items. It emerged that the majority (1,207 objects) were from archaeological excavations carried out by the museum itself under a legal mandate. Another large proportion (699 objects) originate from excavations and therefore also have a verifiable history. A further 45 found objects were transferred by municipal institutions such as the water board, the municipal administration or the parks department In most cases, there is also a clear context of archaeological retrieval for these objects. 40 objects that were donated to the museum by private individuals are likewise of unobjectionable provenance. The same applies to the 267 individual items that were transferred to the Archaeological Museum from other museums. In these cases, too, it was possible to clarify the circumstances under which they were found and rule out Nazi crimes.

It was also possible to rule out any objectionable provenance in the case of many of the objects that came to the museum through acquisitions (1,078 objects). Eight Greek ceramics that found their way into the museum’s collection after dubious purchase trips to Paris and Athens were categorised as questionable. The ceramics purchased in both France and Greece were restituted as long ago as 1947/8.

In addition to these objects from the art trade, two transfers from the Department of Culture (plaster cast of the head of a ‘Teuton’ [no longer available]) and the municipal history museum (six bronze vessels, four ceramics and a bronze necklace) were classified as potentially questionable. Since no documents relating to these transactions have been preserved, it has not yet been possible to establish a chronological chain of ownership in either case.

The project outcomes will appear in the AMF's publication series: Dagmar Stutzinger, Zum Wohle der Stadt? Erwerbungen 1933 bis 1945. Systematische Provenienzforschung am Archäologischen Museum Frankfurt (with a contribution by Dr. Liane Giemsch MA and Dr. Michael Overbeck MA), to be published in summer 2018 by Verlag Schnell & Steiner. On 18 July, the exhibition was opened entitled "Zum Wohle der Stadt? – Frankfurter Kulturpolitik des 20. Jahrhunderts im Spiegel der Sammlungen des Archäologischen Museums" [For the good of the city?– Frankfurt cultural politics of the 20th century as reflected in the collections of the Archaeological Museum]. The exhibition runs until 2 September and shows finds that entered the collection of the Archaeological Museum Frankfurt over the course of the 20th century, explaining the history of their origin.

© Archäologisches Museum Frankfurt