Vijf schijven met reliëf before 1868

This plate of five relief disks was made in the late 19th century by William Griggs, a British printer known for his photographic reproductions of art and artifacts. Griggs was commissioned by institutions like the India Office to document objects from across the British Empire. These disks, likely originating from a Buddhist site in India, are presented here as specimens for study. The stark, technical style removes them from their original cultural context, transforming them into objects of scientific inquiry. Consider how photography, like museums, played a role in shaping Western understanding of other cultures. The ordering and classifying of images, removed from their place of origin, could reinforce colonial power dynamics. To fully understand these disks, we need to consult archaeological reports, religious texts, and historical accounts. The work of the historian is to piece together the complex social life of objects, countering the often decontextualizing forces of institutions and empire.