Possession: The Curious History of Private Collectors from Antiquity to the Present

by Erin L. Thompson

Whether it's the discovery of $1.6 billion in Nazi-looted art or the news that Syrian rebels are looting UNESCO archaeological sites to buy arms, art crime commands headlines. Erin Thompson, America's only professor of art crime, explores the dark history of looting, smuggling, and forgery that lies at the heart of many private art collections and many of the world's most renowned museums.
 
Enlivened by fascinating personalities and scandalous events, Possession shows how collecting antiquities has been a way of creating identity, informed by a desire to annex the past while providing an illicit thrill along the way. Thompson's accounts of history's most infamous collectors—from the Roman Emperor Tiberius, who stole a life-sized nude Greek statue for his bedroom, to Queen Christina of Sweden, who habitually pilfered small antiquities from her fellow aristocrats, to Sir William Hamilton, who forced his mistress to enact poses from his collection of Greek vases—are as mesmerizing as they are revealing.

Genres: Art, History, Nonfiction, Art History, Museums, Cultural, True Crime

232 pages, Hardcover

First published May 24, 2016

About the author

Erin L. Thompson is a professor of art crime at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She is the author of Possession: The Curious History of Private Collectors and her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Times, and Art in America. She lives in New York.

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

With its focus on private collectors of antiquities of Rome and Greece, Possession has provided a view into the world of private collectors over the centuries (millennia in some cases)--their motivations, apparent similarities, methods of acquisition of objet d'artes, and occasional eccentricities (sometimes it seems less than occasional). There is a Euro-centric feeling at times as the objects became so desirable at the time that "The Grand Tour" was also becoming "the" essential fact of the life of the well appointed young British man of the 18th century. And then competition begins.

And with competition comes the source's desire to provide what is needed/wanted, whether it is authentic, complete, artistic, looted, stolen, bought, etc etc etc. The stories are convoluted and varied but there is a constant refrain--the collector is really only concerned about himself and the work of art. Altruism doesn't enter the picture for centuries. And when it does, one of the major proponents of antiquities for the masses is John Paul Getty. But he was not immune to the many other issues that plagued collectors before and after him.

There are many specific stories of individuals caught up in collecting frenzy. Some are more interesting than others, but all feed into the major theses of the author as to collectors' basic needs. One of the best steps in the book is her closing section which provides a suggested means to meet collectors' acknowledged needs while also working to educate them as to their past connection to and probable support of the looting "industry", knowingly or not. The effort then is to move the collectors in a new direction.

If you are interested in art and the idea of collecting, this is a good and interesting introduction to the history. I am not a collector (though I used to have a stamp album, now have an awful lot of books, and a few American Indian items. Nothing I have has any age to it. But I found so much of interest here. As it is subtitled a Curious History, I would say this is a book for the curious.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Jo Walton]

A slightly disappointing book on a fascinating subject. Thompson deliberately narrowed her scope, but even within her narrow boundaries I could think of examples she didn't mention. This is anecdotal and shallow. Still, there's not much about the question of why collectors collect, so I suppose I should be grateful this exists at all. I'd be interested in a deeper more comprehensive book about it though.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t typically read non-fiction. But the subject matter of this book grabbed me as I consider myself a minor collector of antiques. This book deals with collectors of antiquities, such as statues, engraved gems and coins. The author looks to expand the idea that the main reason people collect is to enhance their identity, to appear better than they are, to claim superiority over the rest of the population. She delves into the collectors’ “insatiable desire for ancient things” to quote Isabella d’Este. She also accurately portray that mix of hunter and hoarder that characterizes a collector and the lengths some of them will go to to get what they want. I appreciated her argument that collectors, by turning a blind eye to looting, damage the archeological information attached to historic sites. The last chapter of the book argues for turning collectors into supporters of archeology.

This book isn’t overly long. It traces the history of collectors going back to the Romans who collected Greek statues. It’s interesting reading on the changing mindset towards “restoration”. Even more interesting is the relationship between past forgers and the collectors of their day. The early sections of the book tend to be dry and at times read more like a term paper. As Ms. Thompson gets into the later centuries, the book becomes livelier, probably because of more first hand material.

While there were some pictures, I felt the book would have been helped by the addition of more.

[Alysa H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhere between history, sociology, psychology, and a plea for change, this book is interesting though a bit dry and repetitive. It's at its best whenever it is able to delve more deeply into the human stories about individual collectors and historical figures (Lord Arundel, Emma Hamilton, and J. Paul Getty among them) and their relationships to art and antiquities, as opposed to the sections that make more broad generalizations and use multiple brief examples of different people whose cases may back up those generalizations.

The whole thing does read more like a Ph.D. dissertation polished up for mainstream publication than a potentially popular work of informative nonfiction. And I must say, the "official" description of this book is rather misleading. That is, anyone looking for juicy books about art crime would do better to look elsewhere. Only those interested in the psychology of collectors across time will find this a useful addition to their own (harmless!) book collection.

** I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley **

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at the many aspects of collecting antiquities--looting, restoration, forgery, etc which concludes with a brief discussion of the relationship between collectors and archaeologists and how the relationship could be altered to improve the treatment of antiquities. The chapter on restoration was both interesting and frightening as it shows the damage done, especially in the past, in the name of "restoration." Similarly the chapter on forgery is both interesting and frightening (and occasionally amusing) as Thompson discusses some of the patched together antiquities which have fooled collectors.

[Vicki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very dry reading, on a very interesting topic. Lost interest in finishing and do not pick up if you are looking for in depth discussion

[Tuomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book left me with some mixed feelings. By and large, however, I would recommend anyone interested in the subject to read it (collecting, history of collecting and antiques). It is not a heavy tome and although the style of writing varies between purely academic and light-hearted, it is mostly a very interesting read. I learned a lot and could maybe reflect a little on the reasons why I myself collect.

The writer is of course a scholar and her knowledge in this very niche topic is vast and very respectable. I learned a lot of interesting information on the history of collecting. Or should I say a history of a very specific subject of collecting (antiques from antique Rome and Greece proper). She must be commended for trying to understand the amateur collector instead of dismissing people purchasing antiques merely as rich people trying to obtain more rich-people-points in their peer group.

The book is half a history of collecting and a half of study of the reasons why people collect and have collected. The two topics are naturally very intertwined since when speaking of objects several thousands years old, only objects preserved to this date can be collected. Therefore the history of various objects has a lot of bearing on what is collectible. Many marble antiques have been used for building material, others destroyed in various disasters (man-made and natural).

However, I think the problem with the subject matter in question is that at the end of it, it is a question of feelings and psychology. Why someone collects antiques and why someone collects art are both very complex topics. There are the connoisseur-collectors who collect for private enjoyment and the rich-noveau who collect as a status symbol among peers, but at the end of the day, I would claim that both boil down to feelings. Either introspective feelings (personal enjoyment) or social ones (reveling in envy).

Because the perspective of the book is historical, the task the book sets out is very difficult (as the author herself admits). The book is trying to deduct the subjective motivations of private collectors and their historical development over time. It is very likely that not even all collectors (both past and present) may fully well know why exactly they collect, maybe just what kind of feelings does collecting evoke in them.

Therefore the book falls a little short in its goal of understanding the reasons for collecting, because it is like an astronomer trying to understand stars without a telescope. The book is too hard trying to understand subjective human motivations without the humans. As a collector, I could recognize many of the themes she handles in the book, but in the treatment of some, the purely objective description and treatment of the themes falls short in understanding them fully.

For example, at the end of the book the author deals a lot on the collectors' wish to touch ancient items and posits that maybe museums should allow touching of antique items to decrease demand of antiques and, ultimately, looting. In my opinion the author fails to consider the need of touching the items in conjunction with other themes (such as personal inspection of items, development of themes in e.g. coins of one ruler during their reign, and doing this in the privacy of collector's own study).

The historical description of collecting and several themes touched therein are very reflective. The information as presented is a proper cornucopia of historical detail. I would just think that the book could have used a little bit more psychological perspective (for example questionnaires to modern collectors) to earn that last fifth star as an excellent book. However, I laud her for taking a very pragmatic stand towards collecting as a hobby, instead of needlessly vilifying collectors, which too often can be the attitude of professional archaeologists.

[Leanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

What meaningful things can be said about the way European collectors of antiquities have historically approached collecting? As others have mentioned, Thompson's presentation is a bit disappointing. While it’s a tremendously promising subject, the writing is flat (and dry) and it’s treatment of the subject somewhat spotty. While written by "America’s only professor of art crime,” the book does not hit the mark. She approaches the subject by looking at famous collectors from Tibirius to Queen Christina of Sweden vis-a-vis lens of collecting as a form of identity creating (and branding), erotic possibilities, irresponsible restorations, and provenance (aka looting).

It is a wide-ranging subject, and for sheer scope, plus absolutely fantastic writing, who can beat Joseph Alsop’s The Rare Art Traditions? There is also Hugo Munsterberg’s book on the psychology of art collecting…and I would also strongly recommend Michael Finkel’s The Art Thief
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Which is a deep dive into one collector’s life and psychology. While devoted to only one person, through the lens of one man’s collecting practices, it allows for a discssuin of the entire subject more generally. A similar approach was achieved by Dale Kent’s
Cosimo De' Medici and the Florentine Renaissance: The Patron's Oeuvre and the fabulous
Chinese Collector Through the Centuries
by Michel Beurdeley —published in 1964!

I treasure all of these books.

I felt she dropped the ball with the erotic connections to antiquities chapter and then completely lost the thread of obsessive desire in her conclusion which aimed toward bringing out some practical guidelines for ethical collecting, since these days most illegal activity is no longer being done by major museums. The problem with this is she bases her guidelines on the iffy premise that most collectors amass antiquities to connect with other people….. it was not convincing since they could found a hospital. Some might, but there is the absolute romantic obsession of touching and possessing beauty. Finkel’s book is simply brilliant on this.

Thompson’s book shone best when she wrote about Getty. I have read so many books about him but none have been as interesting as Thompson’s. I had no idea about Getty’s short stories about pieces in his collection and about the way he approached collecting, here below is a quote by Getty:

"I have always felt I had a great deal in common with two people widely separated in time: William Randolph Hearst and Hadrian. I can scarcely be a reincarnation of Mr. Hearst with his being a contemporary, but I have wondered for many years why I have for so long felt such a close affinity with Hadrian. When I read about him and his villa and his life, I feel I already know it all and understand why he made the decisions he did. I would very much like to think that I was a reincarnation of spirit and I would like to emulate him as closely as I can… Hadrian, Hearst, and I are alike: we have all like things on a grand scale.”

Thompson makes the point that Getty modeled his life on ancient Roman and the European aristocracy. He sought to mimic them not not only in the absolute power of his rule over the Getty empire (he was definitely not a delegator), but also in activities characteristic of the leisure time and interests of these aristocrats, including has extensive travels, the construction of the Getty Villa, and most importantly his art collecting.So by collecting the ancients he was co-opting some of their achievements and charisma…. He was putting himself in their orbit through the possession of these items.

[Dr G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came to this book from a slightly obscure starting point. I had been wondering what happened with Roman objets in the millenium between the end of the Roman empire in Rome and the start of the Rennaisance. I was interested in the items that sit between the fine artworks that were seen as valuable throughout, and the quotidian items which were interred with burials. I tried a web-search for books that might cover the topic and this came up as perhaps the best option.
However, Thompson has written it in order to understand why antiquities collectors collect, and she then diverges a little to consider the archaeological dangers of looting of items, and concludes with a few suggestions as to methods of depressing looters markets.
I might begin by saying that her three proposed strategies (publicising the likelihood that any "antiquity" might well be a worthless forgery; allowing some degree of touching of items in museums, and archaeologists facilitating networking amongst laypeople) do not seem to me to be likely to achieve much.
Thompson's stated methodology of ignoring collectors' own explanations of why they collect, and instead looking for intrinsic evidence within remaining documents seems sound, although, for example, there did not seem to be much use of purchase invoices to disprove collectors' claims.
My initial query was partially satisfied, with the information that some successors of Alexander III after the break-up of his empire, used Greek booty to legitimise their claim to the throne, and that subsequent Romans similarly sought to legitimise their prominence by collecting items.
I think the book is at its best when it describes some of the eccentric collectors, perhaps most notably the Earl of Arundel, William Hamilton, Queen Christina of Sweden and John Paul Getty. I find myself concluding that these examples show that a level of possessive obsession enters the picture at some stage, at least for these high-stakes collectors. Thompson's point that the obsessive money-making of people such as Getty might be related to their subsequent obsessive antiquities acquisition seemed persuasive.
There are, of course many, many collectors who operate on a much lower level than these super-wealthy, and it is surely likely that at all points in the spectrum, the psychological drive of simply wanting that next example (within the collector's spending range), and then the next, and the next, and so on, is pertinent. And that collectors tend to want to own things, and are not satisfied with simply having access to them.
It is this reason that makes me feel Thompson's strategies for preventing looting are not likely to be greatly effective. As much as a collector might talk in spiritual terms about the sensation of touching an ancient object, and of the frustration when a museum prevents that touch, I suspect many a collector would still wish to own the object regardless of how much touching they could do in a museum, and regardless of how much networking with like-minded people was available. (And obviously I am too smart to be hoodwinked by a forgery.)
For someone interested in the area of antiquities, I think this is an interesting, if not astounding, historical overview.

[Nightwitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and readable - I got through this in about two days - but kind of all over the place: it read like a longform article that had been expanded into a book, with extra examples and a lot of padding added, as opposed to something that needed to be a book. The long chronological span of collecting covered also meant that the book felt unbalanced at times; there's a lot of information about the eighteenth century, probably because the looting/collecting was well-documented and eighteenth century antiquarians loved to hear themselves talk (slash read their own writing), but at the same time Thompson will then dart back to the Medicis or forward to Getty because the book is not organized chronologically but by what the collectors were doing.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started this book for a work book club but we weren't able to finish it so I took my time in finishing it on my own.

Very interesting book. It's a bit dry at times, but some of the stories about the collectors of history and how they obtained objects ranged from fascinating to scandalous to a bit of both. I'm an archivist and work with collectors from time to time and it is accurate to say they think about things quite differently from people without the inclination to collect. The justification that drives collectors, especially when the objects do not have clear provenance, is foreign to my brain and it was rather helpful to understand it better.

[Tyler Wolanin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The subjects this book did a deep dive into were fascinating and entertaining, but I think it could have benefited from zooming out once in a while, to show us the bigger picture of European culture as relating to Greco-Roman antiquities. Full blog post here: tylerwolanin.com/blog/2020/9/1/what-i...

[John Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Subtitle and jacket description notwithstanding, this isn't a history of private collectors as much as a series of case studies, mostly drawn from their own writings, of the motivations of private collectors of Greco-Roman antiquities. It's readable, if not especially deep, and perhaps unintentionally makes the case that the problem of antiquities looting has been a problem for two millennia and won't be solved as long as there are rich people.

[Chrystal Hays · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of this is a little dry, but the great parts are great.
The psychological strings behind the people who collect...and the ramifications of collection itself are well stated.
Seeing contemporary news, such as the Greene family having to return more items to their countries of origin, is a little different for me after having read this book.

[Amelia Reyes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited for this topic but the book is narrow in scope and its thesis is contradictory. Each example that the author provided did not explain her claim that art collectors did not collect for just social prestige. It was interesting to know that there is a long history of sculptures being modified because owners could not stand the nudity or sexual attributes of the statues.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew little about collectors of antiquities before reading this book, but I found it fairly accessible even though I had limited knowledge. The author did a great job of outlining the other arguments regarding collectors of antiquities, and I though the examples she used explaining the motivations of collectors to be really fascinating, and at times, even a little bit like reading fun gossip. I thought this was a really interesting book, and I know I will look at antiquities in museums with a much more critical eye and understanding of their origins.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers a curious selection of tales about people collecting antiquities. Some of these tales are entertaining or edifying, while others drag on. I found myself skimming the final chapters of the book.

[Savina Raznatovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and full of information that keeps you attentive while reading it. It's easy to read and you don't necessarily need to have much knowledge of archeology or art history to comprehend it.

[Thegirlintheafternoon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really interesting overview of why collectors collect and of the implications that private collecting has on our knowledge of the past.

[Malinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant read, just wish it had been longer.

[Hadley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid summary, but felt a bit lacking in depth. Finding materials on private collectors is difficult, so I suppose this is good enough for a primer.

[Jen St · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a good book for research, so I'm using random chapters.

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Sharon Johnson]

History of looting, smuggling and forgery of art.

[Mark Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book reads like an academic article, not an engaging book.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read like a Ph.D dissertation, could be repetitive and dry, other parts were fascinating.

[E Vikander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possession considers the motivations of collectors of Greek and Roman antiquities in order to help stop the looting and destruction of archeological sites. Queen Christina of Sweden, Henry Blundell, Thomas Howard (Earl of Arundel), and J. Paul Getty are a sampling of the collectors included in this well researched book. I was surprised to read of the extent of the restoration work done in collections—“the pervasive way in which the original collectors’ taste continues to shape the way we see the past”—including shocking restorations that changed the character of the art such as sex changes, castrations, and infanticides. The author also includes discussions of forgeries and looting. Interesting and enlightening, Possession is an excellent read even for those of us who know very little about this important subject.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is, apparently, America’s only professor of art crime, and she’s certainly put her insider knowledge to good use in this very interesting exploration of collecting and collectors. Covering a broad time span, she explores the psychology of collecting, what motivates people to sometimes go to extreme lengths to add to their collections and tells of the equally extreme lengths that providers of art and antiques will go to in order to make their offerings collectable. She looks at forgeries and looting, as well, examines what makes a love of art turn to an overriding passion, and has a wealth of anecdotes and often very surprising tales to tell. It’s a readable and accessible book, if a little dry in the early chapters, and I will never look at my own modest collections in quite the same way again.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had a narrower focus than I expected, specifically about collectors of classical antiquities, a custom which started when some of Alexander's generals, after his death, used classic statuary to impress people and build their standing. Thompson sees our view of collecting (obsessive, greedy, cut-throat competitive) as shaped by Christian and Roman moralists, and largely inaccurate (she argues that collecting is often an emotional bonding experience rather than a game of one-upmanship). Interesting, but limited--Thompson points out that collectors of classic paintings have a smaller supply of artifacts so it's much more intense, and I imagine other types of collectors have other differences.

[Giovanni García-Fenech · Rating 5 out of 5]

While it's depressing to learn about the abuses of our cultural heritage by private collectors, the anecdotes the author shares are fascinating and often surprisingly funny. My favorite is the one about Henry Blundell boasting that he bought a statue of Hermaphrodite and had its penis cut off to make it a sleeping Venus. *cringe*