Not all Ethiopian objects in the V&A collection have clear provenance: that is, information about the chains of ownership or appropriation that eventually brought them into the museum.
Today, when assessing potential additions to our collections, our curators seek to find out as much as possible about their ownership histories before objects are ‘accessioned’ or formally acquired by the museum.
Ancient manuscript, looted in 1868. Courtesy V&A.
However, for earlier generations of museum professionals, making such enquiries and keeping records of such details were not always part of established practice when acquiring objects.
This leaves us with crucial questions about the provenance of some of our collections, some of which we hope to address through further research, and others to which we will likely never have a definitive answer.
In 2007, the museum received a formal request from the Ethiopian government for the restitution of the crown and chalice.
The museum is currently prevented from permanently deaccessioning objects from its collection under the terms of the 1983 National Heritage Act, but it welcomes opportunities for further discussion about how the V&A might facilitate access to these items in Ethiopia.
