Vatican Museums

Third catalogue in the series examining the ethnological collections of the Vatican Museums, available in Italian and English, dedicated to the Australian indigenous collection and published in collaboration with the Aboriginal Studies Press.
Starting from the historical events that since 1847 have witnessed the formation of this collection – now composed of around 300 objects – the book explores numerous aspects of the culture of Australia, thanks to the valuable contributions of scholars of diverse cultural extraction.

The book was produced in close contact with Aboriginal communities, following the philosophy of reconnection that characterises both the recent history of Australia and the section of the Vatican Museums that holds the ethnological collections: from conception to final draft, it was approved by the Custodians and Elders of the Communities.

Careful preliminary research enabled the reconstruction of the history of the objects, now held in the Vatican, and the location of the country and descendants of those who made them, culturally reconnecting contemporaries with the material legacy pertaining to them: the results of research and visits to the communities are well documented here. The volume concludes with a catalogue of objects, offering a vast selection from the collection held in the Vatican.
It is richly illustrated with archive images, full page photographs and details of the works.