Collections : [University of Michigan History of Art Visual Resources Collection]

The Ajanta Caves collection is composed of approximately 2,500 black-and-white photographs of the Ajanta caves in Maharashtra, India. The photographs depict 29 of the 31 rock-cut caves within the Ajanta complex taken by Dr. Walter Spink during the course of his research in the latter half of the 20th century.

The Ajanta Caves collection is composed of approximately 2,500 black-and-white photographs of the Ajanta caves. The photographs depict 29 of the 31 rock-cut caves within the Ajanta complex and were taken by Dr. Walter Spink during the course of his research in the latter half of the 20th century. The prints depict panoramic views of the complex, as well as detailed photographs of the façade, porch, court, and interiors of each cave. The prints of the interiors capture plasters, shrines, and detailed carvings within the caves.

The Borobudur collection is composed of approximately 4,000 color and black-and-white slides depicting the Borobudur temple. The collection contains slides from the Southeast Asia Art Foundation (SAAF) Archive and from Patrick Young's expedition to the Buddhist temple in 1983.

The Borobudur collection is composed of approximately 4,000 color and black-and-white slides depicting the Borobudur temple. The collection contains slides from the Southeast Asia Art Foundation (SAAF) Archive and from Patrick Young's expedition to the Buddhist temple in 1983. The slides depict general views of the temple and the complex from different directions. The collection also contains individual views of the reliefs on the balustrades and walls, as well as the stupas and the Buddhas.

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The Breezewood collection is comprised of approximately 3,500 photographs depicting Thai art and architecture, as well as important examples of Burmese, Cambodian, Cham, Indian, and Indonesian art. The photographs were taken in the late 1940's and early 1950's.

The Breezewood collection is comprised of approximately 3,500 photographs depicting Thai art and architecture, as well as important examples of Burmese, Cambodian, Cham, Indian, and Indonesian art. The photographs were taken in the late 1940's and early 1950's. During the summer of 1972 Professor Walter Spink and Forest McGill launched an initiative with aid from the Center for South and Southeast Asian Studies. The initiative was to duplicate about 3,500 photographs from the Breezewood Foundation. Mr. Horst Schastok copied the photographs for the Department of the History of Art and the Southeast Asian Art Archive. The collection contains photographs of sculpture, decorative arts, ceramics, and paintings, many of which were never published as they are part of private or temple collections.

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The Islamic Art Archives is composed of six collections, including those of Mehmet Ağa-Oğlu, Arthur Upham Pope, Donald Newton Wilber, Oleg Grabar, Marianna Shreve Simpson, and the Afghanistan Archaeological Remains Photographs Collection. The collection also includes photographic prints of the pages of the illustrated manuscripts Maqamat and Shah Nama, and additional photographs of Islamic architecture.

The Islamic Art Archives is composed of six collections, including those of Mehmet Ağa-Oğlu, Arthur Upham Pope, Donald Newton Wilber, Oleg Grabar, Marianna Shreve Simpson, and the Afghanistan Archaeological Remains Photograph. The Mehmet Ağa-Oğlu collection documents the Islamic and pre-Islamic art and architecture of the Middle East, Persia, the Caucasus, Western Asia, North Africa, and Southern Spain. Arthur Upham Pope focused primarily on Persian architecture and monuments, but his collection also includes photographs of Persian ceramics, textiles, and illustrated manuscripts. Wilber, Pope's colleague, also primarily studied Iranian monuments but he focused on those built during the Achaemenid and Sasanian empires. Oleg Grabar's work focused on the architecture of the seventh and eighth centuries of the Umayyad dynasty, the architecture of Jerusalem under Islamic rule, Arabic and Persian illustrated manuscripts and ornaments, and contemporary Islamic architecture. On the other hand, the Afghanistan Archaeological Remains Photograph collection depicts Afghanistan sculptures, statues, figural reliefs, pottery, and other archaeological remains, the majority of which are from the Kabul Museum in Afghanistan. Finally, Dr. Simpson's collection documents her work and her notes from her study of Islamic manuscripts around the world. The collection also includes photographic prints of the pages of the illustrated manuscripts Maqamat and Shah Nama.

The Oleg Grabar collection is comprised of approximately 580 photographs, slides, and negatives compiled during Dr. Grabar's research and expeditions to Syria, Israel, and Jordan. Grabar specialized in the architecture of the seventh and eighth centuries of the Umayyad dynasty. Later his interests broadened to include the architecture of Jerusalem under Islamic rule, Arabic and Persian illustrated manuscripts and ornament, and contemporary Islamic architecture.

The Oleg Grabar collection is comprised of approximately 580 photographs, slides, and negatives compiled during Dr. Grabar's research and expeditions to Syria, Israel, and Jordan. Grabar specialized in the architecture of the seventh and eighth centuries of the Umayyad dynasty but later his interests broadened to include the architecture of Jerusalem under Islamic rule, Arabic and Persian illustrated manuscripts and ornament, and contemporary Islamic architecture. The collection is divided into three main series, the Photograph series, the Negatives series, and the Slides series. The Photograph and Negatives series contains photographs and negatives produced during the excavations of Qasr al-Hayr al-sharqi in Syria between 1964 and 1971. The Slides series is comprised of the slides created from Dr. Grabar's research and travel throughout Syria, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, and Iran. The slides have been digitized and are available online.

Additional materials regarding Dr. Oleg Grabar and the excavation of Qasr al-Hayr al-Sharqi can be found at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. The Kelsey holds the excavation records from the site and correspondence regarding the dig (October 1962-September 1998), publications, maps, drawings, and more.

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The Southeast Asian Art Archive is composed of seven collections, including the Southeast Asia Art Foundation Archive (SAAF), the Breezewood Collection, the Ajanta Caves Collection, the Walter Spink Indian Caves Collection, the Walter Spink Collection, the Borobudur Collection, and the American Council for Southeast Asian Art (ACSAA) Collection. The collection contains photographs and slides of Southeast Asian monuments, sculptures, Indian rock-cut architecture, and more.

The Southeast Asian Art Archive is composed of seven smaller collections, including the Southeast Asia Art Foundation Archive, the Breezewood Collection, the Ajanta Caves Collection, the Walter Spink Indian Caves Collection, the Walter Spink Collection, the Borobudur Collection, and the American Council for Southeast Asian Art Collection (ACSAA). The Southeast Asia Art Foundation Archive contains photographs, collected by John Adams Thierry, that document sculptures, monuments, and archaeological sites in Cambodia, Java, and Thailand. Many of these sculptures and monuments were vandalized, damaged, insensitively restored, or destroyed. The Breezewood Collection focuses on the art and architecture of Thailand, but also includes examples of sculptures, decorative arts, ceramics, and paintings from Burma, Cambodia, India, and Indonesia. The Ajanta Caves Collection contains the research work of Walter Spink and photographically documents 29 of the 31 rock-cut caves. The photographs range from panoramic views of the Ajanta complex to detailed photographs of the façades, porches, courts, shrines, and interiors. The Walter Spink Indian Caves Collection further documents the research of Walter Spink by looking at rock-cut architecture of other caves throughout India, including Aurangabad, Badami, Bagh, Bedse, Bhaja, Elephanta, Ellora, Kanheri, and others. The Walter Spink Collection contains additional research of the rock-cut architecture of temples, shrines, and monuments throughout India. The Borobudur Collection documents the Buddhist monument of Borobudur, found in Central Java, in detail. The last collection is the American Council for Southern Asian Art (ACSAA) Slide Distribution Collection. This collection contains a wide array of materials depicting Southern Asian art and architecture.

The Roberta Keniston Postcard Collection contains six boxes of postcards and other visual ephemera from the 20th century. The collection focuses mostly in European architecture and painting. The majority of the postcards are blank, but some do include correspondence.

The Roberta Keniston Postcard Collection contains six boxes of postcards and other visual ephemera from the 20th century. The boxes are first organized by donor, and then very broadly divided by the type of architecture or artwork depicted on the postcards. These subdivisions are arranged by geographic region, media, and/or subject of the work shown on the postcard.

The majority of items in this collection are postcards dating from 1900-1918, which was during the “golden age” of postcard collecting, lasting from about 1895 to 1915. Other items, including photographs, souvenir photo books, greeting cards, and exhibition announcements in this collection were published throughout the 20th century. Correspondence to and from History of Art faculty and staff appear on some of the postcards.

The Walter Spink Collection is comprised of approximately 4,000 photographs of temples, shrines, and monuments throughout India. The photographs depict the research interests of Walter Spink and his travels throughout India, starting in 1952.

The Walter Spink Collection is comprised of approximately 4,000 photographs of temples, shrines, and monuments throughout India. Walter Spink began his research in India in 1952 and he traveled throughout the country studying rock-cut architecture and Buddhist and Hindu cave temples. Spink also famously studied the Krishna-Radha theme in Indian miniature paintings. The majority of the photographs in the collection depict rock-cut architecture throughout India, including Agra, Badami, Bharhut, Bhubaneswar, Deogarh, and Hampi.