The Dr Geoffrey Kaye Collection
Dr Geoffrey Kaye (1903-1986) graduated in 1927, served in the army and taught medicine at the University of Melbourne. He acquired a very large collection of glass, furniture and other decorative art, including some Classical pieces. In 1980 he gave much of his glass to the University (Ernst Matthei Collection, currently in University House). He made another large gift in kind just before his death in 1986.
The Gallery holds a copy of a type-written Register of his collection which he seems to have drawn up himself and later annotated by hand. Section C5 of this register is devoted to Classical objects collected in the Middle East during the war or just before and after it. The three glass objects (c, d, e) are annotated by hand "to U. of M., 1980" and lines ruled through the text of the entry. The other six objects are included in the Kaye 1986 Inventory drawn up at the time of the donation.
These objects seem to have remained unnoticed until the Virtual Museum Project. Records for all nine now include the descriptions found in the Kaye Register. The lekythos has been integrated into the Greek vase collection and studied by Heather Jackson. The other objects could be added to the MU series of artefacts; no evidence to has emerged that they have been studied or published.
Tanagran hydrophoros |
||||
White-background lekythos |
||||
Unguentarium (greenish glass) |
||||
Bottle (greenish glass) |
||||
Unguentarium (blue glass) |
||||
Alabastron (bronze) |
||||
Bronze church-lamp |
||||
Oinochoe (baluster shape) |
||||
Bronze arrowhead |