Non-European Cultures

This specialized, eclectic, yet exceptionally interesting collection was formed in 1963–1964 as part of a reorganization of the museum’s holdings. It is a self-contained section composed exclusively of the so-called “old collections” of the MMB, which is no longer being expanded. Thanks to its Egyptological finds, its chronological scope is very broad—spanning from the 3rd millennium B.C. to the first quarter of the 20th century, with most of the objects dating from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The collection is valuable due to its overall composition and its direct connection to the Bratislava bourgeoisie, who donated the objects to the collections.

What does the collection document?

• Non-European production: it provides a glimpse into non-European objects of an ethnographic and arts-and-crafts nature.

• Everyday life and rituals of exotic cultures: the collection consists of ritual objects, weapons, everyday items, and souvenirs.

• African artifacts: it includes intricately crafted oriental artifacts, as well as simple ornaments and clothing items of the indigenous peoples of Central and Southern Africa.

Valuable objects of national and international significance:

• Several objects are of supraregional significance because they are not found to the same extent in other museums in Slovakia.