Dragutin Lerman’s Collection

I gladly venture into the unknown depths of the vast African forests, helping to light the flame of civilization in this black night. And I hasten even more eagerly, as I live in hope that on this occasion too, I will gather a piece or two to complete our Croatian museum’s African collection.

From Lerman’s letters and diaries, it is evident that he embraced the idea of the “civilizing mission,” a concept used to justify colonial expansion.

European powers imposed their values on African societies, with the spread of Christianity playing a key role in this process. The notion of supposed racial superiority allowed colonization to be framed as a benevolent act. Integral to colonialism was the fashion of collecting objects from local populations. Besides missionaries and traders, colonial officials took numerous items from the indigenous peoples. This collecting was an extension of their work in studying and categorizing the Congolese population for better control over them. Many of these objects are now housed in various museums, especially in the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Belgium, which was founded by Leopold II as a propaganda tool for his colonial enterprise. Most of these items were taken in a context of violence and inequality.

As a colonial official, Lerman also amassed a collection of items, primarily weapons, along with utilitarian, religious, and ritual objects, jewelry, and musical instruments. He mostly collected based on aesthetic criteria, so the items are distinguished by their craftsmanship and the quality of materials used. Some of these objects symbolized the status and power of local leaders.