For the purposes of general information, I thought I'd briefly revive this thread to mention that both the Ancient Shipping Museum (Museum für antike Schifffahrt) and Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum in Mainz now have a very strictly-enforced no-photography policy. This includes pictures taken without flash.
I suspect this policy might be new, as I've seen many pictures of the reconstructed vessels in the ship museum obviously taken by visitors. Both museums are free to enter, and I assume the intention is to make money on selling books and postcards etc.
It's a shame, as both museums are excellent. The RGZM has a number of original helmets and other bits of military equipment - actually this is all in the end room of the lower floor, so if you time it right you can take a few pics while the guards are out of the room! The original (I think - so the guard claimed anyway) Deurne helmet on the upper floor is in the entrance room, however, and under constant vigil.
I confess that I sneaked a few pictures in the ship museum too, before being spotted. After that I was followed everyone by one of the guards (note - some of them are in plain clothes!) to dissuade me from further verboten activities...
The nearby Mainz Landesmuseum allows (non flash) photos, and has paid entry, but unless you really like migration-period warrior graves there's not much to see there. The excellent Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier appears to have no problem with photography either, and neither does the museum of the Archäologische Park Xanten.
Quote:The original (I think - so the guard claimed anyway) Deurne helmet on the upper floor is in the entrance room, however, and under constant vigil.
Unless it is there on loan, it should be in the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden. It was when I went there many years ago.
Probably an electrotype the RGZM in Mainz is very good at making them, I remember a copy of an elaborate Celtic helmet from Agris, Charente, France that I saw there:
The label on the one at RGZM said it was a copy but I couldn't tell..... still I wouldn't want to go to a museum that relied solely on such things as the intention would be to see the original work... after all you wouldn't what to go to see a copy of the Mona Lisa.... would you?
Ivor
"And the four bare walls stand on the seashore. a wreck a skeleton a monument of that instability and vicissitude to which all things human are subject. Not a dwelling within sight, and the farm labourer, and curious traveller, are the only persons that ever visit the scene where once so many thousands were congregated." T.Lewin 1867
Quote:it should be in the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden
Quote:Probably an electrotype the RGZM in Mainz is very good at making them
Yes, that sounds more likely. I didn't know about the electrotype thing though - thanks. I asked the guard about the Deurne helmet mainly as I was sure it was supposed to be elsewhere, and it looked a little... strange. He insisted (as far as I could work out - rather stupidly, I'd insisted on initiating the conversation in German!) that it was original, as the label didn't indicate that an original was kept elsewhere, or something...
I'm staying "on-subject" but not about helmets. Several years ago, I visited the National Museum in Naples. I went there expressly to see (and possibly photograph) some ancient bronze fish hooks. The room holding them was closed to the public, and I was very disappointed.
Seeing my disappointment, the staff "greeter" said, "Wait a minute."
She picked up the phone, dialed somebody, and added, "Please wait a few minutes longer."
Fast-forwarding to the Good Part-- a drop-dead gorgeous young lady (assistant curator, Maria) took me upstairs to the closed room, unlocked it, and ushered me in. She showed me the hooks, 8th century Greek, and gave me permission to photograph anything I wanted to.
After all the negative recollections on this thread, I thought something positive might be appreciated.
Alan J. Campbell
member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians
Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)
"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
Renatus post=370203 Wrote:it should be in the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden
Quote:Probably an electrotype the RGZM in Mainz is very good at making them
Yes, that sounds more likely. I didn't know about the electrotype thing though - thanks.
Electrotyping is(or was) not necessarily a bad thing, particularly with items that are fragile and/or likely to deteriorate over time, one thing it does allow you to do is create a good surface copy (that can be transported), a snap shot of the original at the time if you like......
I think its probably getting to be old hat now though, what with 3D scanning and printing technology which is less invasive in any case....
Ivor
"And the four bare walls stand on the seashore. a wreck a skeleton a monument of that instability and vicissitude to which all things human are subject. Not a dwelling within sight, and the farm labourer, and curious traveller, are the only persons that ever visit the scene where once so many thousands were congregated." T.Lewin 1867
I went to the Naples museum two years ago and asked where they had the gladiator gear. The man at the information counter said they did not have them on display because there was no space. When I told him that on the web they were listed as being shown, he changed his tune and said they were at Paestum or possibly Munich. In other words, they had not idea.
An hour later while I was strolling around, there was a woman giving a tour and I asked her about the gladiator gear. She mentioned that if I wrote an email one month earlier making an appointment, that I could have seen them in private.
The best was when I went to the upper floor of the museum, there was a HUGE room with a few paintings on the wall. The entire floor space was totally empty and I began wondering how in the world they had no room.
"You have to laugh at life or else what are you going to laugh at?" (Joseph Rosen)
I was lucky, indeed. Evidently I found the right person, and Maria was more than helpful. I think she realized an American had traveled a long way to examine that particular exhibit. I had found genuine empathy from a good human being, a real rarity these days.
Alan J. Campbell
member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians
Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)
"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
Quote:Unless it is there on loan, it should be in the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden. It was when I went there many years ago.
Actually the original is now in the Limburgs Museum, Venlo. Until the end of October at least: http://www.limburgsmuseum.nl/zien_en_doe...1027_helm/
Last time I was there they had no problems with taking pictures.
Robert Vermaat MODERATOR FECTIO Late Romans
THE CAUSE OF WAR MUST BE JUST
(Maurikios-Strategikon, book VIII.2: Maxim 12)
I'm working at a fine arts museum, so bit of an upgrade from the other museums I've been at. We have a no flash policy, and were told that "No, basically flash these days most likely won't hurt anything, even old paintings", HOWEVER... flash is distracting to everyone else around you. So maybe instead of worrying about that and people getting annoyed, its a blanket ban on pictures.... and selling books/postcards too.
