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Collectors Files

Examples of resources found in the Marquess of Bute file
 
Examples of resources found in the Marquess of Bute file
The Collectors Files comprise about 20,000 folders with information on international collectors, dealers, auctioneers, and art institutions from the late Middle Ages to the present. The files are particularly strong in the history of collecting in Western Europe but also include information regarding collectors and collections located around the world.

Contents


The Collectors Files typically contain published and unpublished material, such as photocopies of inventories, sales catalogs, articles, genealogical references, scholars' notes, and similar resources.

The files vary greatly in their size and content.

The Marquess of Bute file, which is particularly comprehensive, contains over thirty items, including a transcription of an 1822 catalogue raisonné of the paintings at Luton Hoo, notes by Ellis Waterhouse on the paintings, and published articles on the collection.
The Jan Jacobszn Hinlopen file contains only two items, a published article and an index card with miscellaneous references.
Some entries may provide only miscellaneous references to an individual when the information is too brief to justify compiling a file.

The entry for R. Cremers has only the citation
"Modern Dutch Pictures in Collection of Mr. R. Cremers," Studio (Oct 1921), p. 129.
The files are arranged primarily by the name of an individual, family, or estate. Some files are named with a city, country, or institution.

The file for the Marquesa de Valladares is under Atrisco, Bernarda Sarmiento de Valladares y Guzmán, Duquesa de.
The file for many of the Beurdeley active in Paris is under Beurdeley family.
The file for the State Archives in Rome is located under Rome. Archivio di Stato.
An entry in the index may provide cross-references to additional files when more than one member of a family collected, or when different individuals are associated with one residence.

The entry for Sutton Place would also direct a user to the files for:

Sutherland, Dukes of
Getty, J. Paul

Access


Example from the Buonvisi Inventory
 
Example of a 1776 inventory found in the Buonvisi family file
Researchers can access the Collectors Files database online in order to determine if a file exists for a specific collector's name or location. The database is searchable by keywords, including collector names. Please note that the records in the Collectors Files database do not describe the contents or the extent of the physical files.

The Collectors Files, housed in the Getty Research Institute Library, are available to Readers and staff after an initial orientation. Please contact Library Reference for an appointment, for more information on how to use the Collectors Files database, or to find out more about the contents of a paper file.