An 1802 Aboriginal Necklace rediscovered in the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle of Le Havre

Author: THIERRY VINCENT
Explorations No 53 (Dec 2012): 3-21
https://doi.org/10.62586/YYQZ1282

The author, who is a curator at the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle du Havre, recounts the story of a forgotten Aboriginal necklace he rediscovered in the Museum’s collections in 2005. He argues that, contrary to its labelling, which indicates a New Caledonian provenance, the artefact was acquired at Port Jackson in 1802 by artist and naturalist Charles-Alexandre Lesueur, a member of the Baudin expedition. After his death the necklace was eventually incorporated into the collections of the Museum. Thierry Vincent traces not only the itinerary of the necklace but also the changing fortunes of the Museum in war and peace.

Keywords: Aboriginal artefacts, Charles-Alexandre Lesueur, Nicholas Baudin, Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle of Le Havre, Eugène Delessert, Josephine Bonaparte