Provenance research at the Museum of Music Automatons
Provenance research means establishing the origin and past ownership details of artworks and cultural goods. It involves finding out where an item comes from, to whom it used to belong and the circumstances behind its inclusion in a collection. This is a fundamental duty for museums. Provenance research helps to shed light on historical interconnections and to document collections in a transparent way.
There is a particular question mark over cultural goods acquired in problematic historical contexts. This mainly applies to works with a connection to looted Nazi art as well as objects acquired during other historically encumbered periods. The aim is to identify these holdings, categorise them and be transparent about the ensuing process.
As a federal institution, the Museum of Music Automatons performs this task in close cooperation with other Swiss federal museums. The provenance research takes place within the context of the Federal Office of Culture’s common strategy.
Previous and current work
The collection at the Museum of Music Automatons (MMA) in Seewen is a complex case for provenance research due to the specific features of technical cultural goods: the circumstances surrounding acquisitions and ownership transfers have only occasionally been documented. The museum founder Heinrich Weiss began collecting Swiss music boxes and other automatons in the early 1950s. There were no objects purchased for the collection by either Heinrich Weiss or the Swiss Confederation during the period from 1933 to 1945.
Provenance research relating to Swiss federal collections was first systematically established in 1998 in a comprehensive report.
The Museum of Music Automatons reviewed and updated the documentation in 2019 and 2020. Further research has been conducted into objects for which further information was available (especially regarding the circumstances of their acquisition).
This is an ongoing project. The status report is currently being updated in coordination with the other Swiss federal museums.
Opportunities for archiving and research
The Museum for Music Automaton Collection has extensive archive and documentation holdings offering significant scope for provenance research.
The museum gives external researchers access to these records and supports academic research when possible. Please contact the museum if you require further information.
Documents:
Kulturgüter im Eigentum der Eidgenossenschaft: Untersuchung zum Zeitraum 1933 bis 1945. Bericht der Arbeitsgruppe des Bundesamtes für Kultur, August 1998
(cultural goods owned by the Swiss Confederation: examination of the period from 1933 to 1945. Report by the working group of the Federal Office of Culture, August 1998)
Teil 1: Aktualisierung des Berichts des Bundesamtes für Kultur «Kulturgüter im Eigentum der Eidgenossenschaft: Untersuchung zum Zeitraum 1933 bis 1945», November 2018
(updated version of the Federal Office of Culture report on cultural goods owned by the Swiss Confederation: examination of the period from 1933 to 1945, November 2018)
Part 2: Aktualisierung des Berichts des Bundesamtes für Kultur «Kulturgüter im Eigentum der Eidgenossenschaft: Untersuchung zum Zeitraum 1933 bis 1945», Dezember 2020
(updated version of the Federal Office of Culture report on cultural goods owned by the Swiss Confederation: examination of the period from 1933 to 1945, December 2020)