Trendall in Apulia: Dale Trendall and the Trendall Archive (15 min)

Presenters

Gillian Shepherd, Director, A.D. Trendall Research Centre for Ancient Mediterranean Studies, La Trobe University

Abstract

This paper will focus on the work of A.D. Trendall and the formation, current state, and future of his photographic archive (ca. 40,000 images) of South Italian pottery, of which by far the largest section relates to Apulian vases. This archive was built up over decades through regular visits to Italy and underpinned Trendall’s fundamental studies of South Italian pottery, especially his work with the late Alexander Cambitoglou on Apulian products. The Trendall Archive remains a critical tool for scholars, but its location in Melbourne (Australia) presents a significant obstacle and its research versatility is restricted through its arrangement by fabric and vase-painter attribution. These limitations on the accessibility of the Trendall Archive are currently being addressed through innovative approaches to image digitization and text-data merges at La Trobe University—home of the Trendall Research Centre—in converting a private and somewhat idiosyncratic archive into a globally accessible resource for the 21st century.