Zoom-Webinar

In this webinar, a panel of four experts discusses a Himalayan phurba, a ceremonial dagger in the collections of the Ethnologisches Museum (Ethnological Museum) in Berlin. The phurba left the Himalayan region and entered a private collection in Germany at an unknown point in time and was sold to the museum in 1931 by its previous owner. Panelists will consider questions about and approaches to researching its origin, its journey, and its significance within spiritual traditions of the Himalayan region. 

The online series Unpacking Provenance: Retracing the Histories of Asian Art brings together cross-disciplinary specialists to discuss provenance research processes and share resources. Discussions focus on a single object, exploring a variety of innovative, strategic, and collaborative approaches to inquiry. 

Unpacking Provenance is part of a larger collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz that seeks to cultivate the global network of provenance researchers and promote exchange. Previous programs include Hidden Networks: The Trade of Asian Art(2020 – 2022) and  Provenance of Asian Art: A CollaborativeWorkshop and Symposium (2023).

Speakers include

• Thupten Kelsang, Victoria & Albert Museum, London
• Thupten Jinpa Langri, Institute of Tibetan Classics
• Sonja Mohr, Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
• Alisha Sijapati, Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign 

Facilitated by

• Joanna M. Gohmann, National Museum of Asian Art, Washington, DC 
• Christine Howald, Zentralarchiv, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Zoom-Webinar

This event is organized by Zentralarchiv, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.