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these early collectors. Most of the material collected by Torday is today in the British museum collections, but it is the coherence of these documented groups of objects which gives great significance to pieces which in isolation would be of severely limited interest. There could not be a clearer demonstration of the importance of the individual collection, coherent and fully documented, and of understanding both the skills and the motivation of its collector, as the basis of museum activities. Removed from their contexts many of the artefacts collected by Emil Torday would be of little more cultural significance than the souvenirs brought back to Toronto by Canadian imperialists. All too often coherent groups of artefacts, assembled by collectors of different talents and motivation, have become submerged in large museum collections, only to lose their identity and consequently be rendered liable to be discarded, or deaccessioned, when judged in isolation to be of minor importance. Mercifully the role of the individual collector and the need to keep his collections intact is at least being recognized once again.

Photo Credits. British Museum, London.

Notes

1. J. Mack, Emil Torday and the Art of the Congo, 1900-1909 (London, British Museum Publications, n.d. [IWI]).

2. Ibid., p. 13.

I’. C.-B.

Emmanuel de Margerie (1924-9 1)

Many eyebrows were raised when, in 1975, Bobby de Margerie, as he was always known, was appointed Directeur des Musees de France, a post normally reserved for a professional museum administrator. The son and grandson of former French ambassadors, it was not surprising that de Margerie entered the French diplomatic service, in 1951, and served as a professional diplomat in London, Moscow, Tokyo and Washington before becoming Director of the European Department at the Quai d’Orsay (1972-74). However, when the opportunity presented itself of putting into effect his veritable passion for the arts-shared with his wife, Helene-he seized it, and his reign at the Mu&es de France (1975-77) was extremely fruitful, including critical stages in the creation of the Mu&e d’orsay.

Totally at home in the beau monde, and dispassionately apolitical, de Margerie’s broad culture and infectious enthusiasm enabled him to encourage collectors and career civil servants, as well as professional museum colleagues, to share his vision and give of their best. Consequently his appointment as French Ambassador to Spain (1977-81) was generally mourned in the museum world, though the cocktail party he gave in Madrid for the Advisory Committee of ICOM must be counted as one of its more memorable experiences! Subsequently Ambassador to the Court of St James’s (United Kingdom, 1981-84) and to the United States of America (1984-89), he retired from the diplomatic service and accepted the appointment as Chairman of Christies’ Europe.

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,bby) de Margerie (1924-91).

More eyebrows were raised at this move, but de Margerie chose to disregard any perceived conflicts of interest and looked instead to the future. In the words of Le Figaro (6 December 1991, as quoted in translation by The Times, 14 December 1991):

With his eye fixed on 1993, he had hoped both to promote Paris as a leading art centre on the continent and to stimulate the free circulation of works of art, while seeking to ensure that national treasures remained as far as possible in their own countries.

In his relations with museums, and in his activity as a highly discriminating collector of pictures, furniture and works of art, de Margerie practised what he preached, and his restoration of the vast but ruined Chateau de Mazeres in Gascony-said to be the largest project of its kind in Europe being undertaken as a private initiative-was at his death nearing completion. It is particularly sad that he was never able to see his vision brought to fruition, but to the Musee d”Orsay and many other projects of the Musees de France his contributions were crucial and will be remembered with gratitude.

I’. C.-B.

Dry and Not-So-Dry Bones

In October 1991 bones and skulls of some 300 Australian Aborigines, taken from the Anatomy Museum at Edinburgh University, were flown from the United Kingdom to Australia for traditional burials. This was the biggest scientific collection in Europe and the decision by Edinburgh University, after two years of debate, to hand over the remains has been hailed by some as a triumph of liberal humanism over selfish scientific curiosity, and by others as a manifestation of black intellectual totalitarianism. The view of the non-scientific community in Edinburgh is reported to have been that if, after a