SECRETARY'S REPORT 55 



AUDITORIUM 



On May 26, 1953, Mr. Pope gave the initial lecture in the 1953-54 

 series at 8 : 30 p. m. in the auditorium on "The Ming Dynasty and Its 

 Porcelains" (illustrated). Attendance, 521. In addition, the audi- 

 torium was used by four outside agencies. 



STAFF ACTIVITIES 



The work of the staff members has been devoted to the study of new 

 accessions, of objects contemplated for purchase, and of objects sub- 

 mitted for examination, as well as to individual research projects in 

 the fields represented by the collections of Chinese, Japanese, Persian, 

 Arabic, and Indian materials. Keports, oral or written, and exclu- 

 sive of those made by the technical laboratory on specimens (listed 

 below) , were made upon 4,925 objects as follows : Belonging to private 

 individuals, 2,040; belonging to dealers, 1,142; belonging to other mu- 

 seuns, 1,743. In all, 503 photographs of objects were examined and 

 790 oriental language inscriptions were translated for outside indi- 

 viduals and institutions. By request, 8 groups totaling 343 persons 

 met in the exhibition galleries for docent service by staff members; 

 and 1 group of 9 persons was given docent service in the study-storage 

 rooms. There were 25 distinguished foreign visitors who studied 

 the collections. 



Work done in the technical laboratory included the characteriza- 

 tion of an organic red pigment found on a number of Chinese objects 

 within and without the Freer Collection, and the analysis of a copper- 

 corrosion product in ancient Egyptian bronzes which is to be described 

 as a new mineral. Examinations were made of 29 objects from the 

 Freer Collection, and 56 from outside sources. Many of these bore on 

 the two problems mentioned above. Also work was continued on the 

 collection of material for Abstracts of Technical Studies in Art and 

 Archeology. The laboratory equipment was augmented by the instal- 

 lation of a comparison microscope, a chemical balance, and an X-ray 

 viewer. 



By invitation the following lectures were given outside the Gallery 

 by staff members : 



1952 



Oct. 15. Mr. Pope addressed members of the Oriental Ceramic Society, in Lon- 

 don, on "Some Blue-and-Wliite in Istanbul." (Illustrated with 

 photographs.) Attendance, 100. 



Oct. 24. Mr. Pope addressed a joint meeting of the members of the Svenska 



Orientsiillskapet and the Foreningen Keramikens VJinner, in the 



Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, on "Chinese Porcelains from the 



Ardebil Shrine." (Illustrated with photographs.) Attendance, 90. 



284725—54 5 



