Idanthyrsus
@idanthyrsus.bsky.social
Art/tech/int'l law focused | Late Antiquity and Silk Road art history obsessive
The article concludes with demands for more social history. Yet none of the scholars quoted engage with social history that does not fit into their preconceived beliefs or even with any facts about the provenance of the gems. Discussion where the conclusion is already fixed is no discussion at all.
November 11, 2025 at 4:22 AM
The article concludes with demands for more social history. Yet none of the scholars quoted engage with social history that does not fit into their preconceived beliefs or even with any facts about the provenance of the gems. Discussion where the conclusion is already fixed is no discussion at all.
The decolonial lens here obliterates the Eurasian precious stone trade before, during, and after colonialism. European colonialism was a brief moment in the trade's long history. The focus on Europeans in that trade is ironically the same form of Eurocentrism that imperial chauvinists held.
November 11, 2025 at 4:22 AM
The decolonial lens here obliterates the Eurasian precious stone trade before, during, and after colonialism. European colonialism was a brief moment in the trade's long history. The focus on Europeans in that trade is ironically the same form of Eurocentrism that imperial chauvinists held.
Was this trade exploitative? Undoubtedly so, mineral extraction has always been and expanded demand led to expanded exploitation, as was seen in the Gulf State pearling industry in the late 19th century. Yet this exploitation was not an invention of European colonizers.
oxfordre.com/africanhisto...
oxfordre.com/africanhisto...
oxfordre.com
November 11, 2025 at 4:22 AM
Was this trade exploitative? Undoubtedly so, mineral extraction has always been and expanded demand led to expanded exploitation, as was seen in the Gulf State pearling industry in the late 19th century. Yet this exploitation was not an invention of European colonizers.
oxfordre.com/africanhisto...
oxfordre.com/africanhisto...
Colonialism did not destroy these networks but rather expanded their reach. Many gems that ended up in Europe in the 19th century were not products of colonialism but of long-standing networks co-oped or centralized by colonial rulers (after the Louvre jewels production), or left on their own.
November 11, 2025 at 4:22 AM
Colonialism did not destroy these networks but rather expanded their reach. Many gems that ended up in Europe in the 19th century were not products of colonialism but of long-standing networks co-oped or centralized by colonial rulers (after the Louvre jewels production), or left on their own.
It was already existing Indian and Middle Eastern gem trade networks by which precious stones reached Europe.
Indeed, it was in this market that Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, as a private merchant, was able to acquire some of the finest gems to sell to European nobility in the 17th century.
Indeed, it was in this market that Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, as a private merchant, was able to acquire some of the finest gems to sell to European nobility in the 17th century.
November 11, 2025 at 4:22 AM
It was already existing Indian and Middle Eastern gem trade networks by which precious stones reached Europe.
Indeed, it was in this market that Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, as a private merchant, was able to acquire some of the finest gems to sell to European nobility in the 17th century.
Indeed, it was in this market that Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, as a private merchant, was able to acquire some of the finest gems to sell to European nobility in the 17th century.
I think a larger problem is that the 'experts' quoted have no expertise in the subject matter and lack knowledge on the Louvre gems. The entire analysis here is that the gems come from areas colonized in the 19th c. and therefore are result of "imperial networks." Yet the gem networks are far older.
November 11, 2025 at 4:22 AM
I think a larger problem is that the 'experts' quoted have no expertise in the subject matter and lack knowledge on the Louvre gems. The entire analysis here is that the gems come from areas colonized in the 19th c. and therefore are result of "imperial networks." Yet the gem networks are far older.
It's interesting that in quoted article the Egyptian government takes a more restrained view of repatriation, knowing the issues such claims face. Only the 'influencers' and grifters quoted in this article, like Bassam el-Shammaa, are making such aggressive, clueless claims.
November 8, 2025 at 5:32 AM
It's interesting that in quoted article the Egyptian government takes a more restrained view of repatriation, knowing the issues such claims face. Only the 'influencers' and grifters quoted in this article, like Bassam el-Shammaa, are making such aggressive, clueless claims.
I've banged on about this a lot, see the nesting threads below. It seems insane to me that the major US lobbying org for 'protecting' heritage supports, profits from, and collaborates with the state engaged in largest heritage destruction campaigns of the 21st century.
bsky.app/profile/idan...
bsky.app/profile/idan...
This is blatant even from the @combatlooting.bsky.social, Lehr gives unadulterated praise of the Chinese gov't with no mention of the intentional destruction of Tibetan and Uyghur cultural heritage. No one should take this organization seriously.
www.scmp.com/opinion/chin...
www.scmp.com/opinion/chin...
Opinion | China’s safeguarding of cultural heritage signals its global ambition
For China, the protection of antiquities is not just about safeguarding objects of its past – it is about defining its place in the future.
www.scmp.com
November 4, 2025 at 2:45 AM
I've banged on about this a lot, see the nesting threads below. It seems insane to me that the major US lobbying org for 'protecting' heritage supports, profits from, and collaborates with the state engaged in largest heritage destruction campaigns of the 21st century.
bsky.app/profile/idan...
bsky.app/profile/idan...
Unlike the Sheffield case, intimidation isn't needed when profit is possible, and Lehr has personally profited mightily from her Chinese state connections. The same capture has been noted about the World Monuments Fund and ICOMOS, who remained silent about Xinjiang.
www.aspi.org.au/report/cultu...
www.aspi.org.au/report/cultu...
Cultural erasure - ASPI
Tracing the destruction of Uyghur and Islamic spaces in Xinjiang This report is supported by a companion website, the Xinjiang Data Project. What’s the problem? The Chinese Government has embarked on a systematic and intentional campaign to rewrite the cultural heritage of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). It’s seeking to erode and redefine the culture of […]
www.aspi.org.au
November 4, 2025 at 2:35 AM
Unlike the Sheffield case, intimidation isn't needed when profit is possible, and Lehr has personally profited mightily from her Chinese state connections. The same capture has been noted about the World Monuments Fund and ICOMOS, who remained silent about Xinjiang.
www.aspi.org.au/report/cultu...
www.aspi.org.au/report/cultu...