An online exhition of photographs by Gildas Salaün
following his relief work at Natitingou regional museum in Benin in November 2014.
Collections from beyond Europe
The Dobrée museum holds close to 2,500 objects from beyond Europe
The collections are a great illustration of the life of the people living in Oceania, the Americas and Africa. They consist of weapons, ceramic objects, statuettes and other ritual artifacts.
They were gathered up during the 19th and early 20th century by educated and passionate travelers who recognized their ethnographical value. They also allowed us to understand ancient techniques – notably from Prehistoric times – thanks to comparative archaeology (comparing two cultures).
The Asian collections, particularly the Chinese ones, are closely linked to Thomas Dobrée senior (1781 - 1828). They reflect the history of Nantes through its economy and its harbor, but more importantly, they reveal the European elite’s taste for Chinese exoticism and refinement.
Heads of the department:
- Gildas Salaün, gildas.salaun@loire-atlantique.fr (collections from Africa and Oceania)
- Chrystelle Québriac, chrystelle.quebriac@loire-atlantique.fr (collections from Asia, the Americas and the Middle-East)
