Daneš the Collector: Pacific Journeys of J. V. Daneš and his Collection in the Náprstek Museum

Abstract

Abstract J. V. Daneš (1880–1928) was not only an outstanding figure of his time in the international scientific community, but also a diplomat and a traveller. Two of his overseas trips led him to Australia and the Pacific region, where he assembled a remarkable collection of ethnographic objects and photographs. This collection, now kept in the National Museum – Náprstek Museum of Asian, African and American Cultures in Prague, has been mostly neglected and unpublished for decades. This paper provides a basis for its further study by introducing Daneš’s journeys around the region and comparing them to the proveniences of the ethnographic objects.