Integrating Museum and Archival Knowledge - A Case Study on the Cannon of Kandy

Museums such as the Rijksmuseum are transforming access to their collections by publishing object metadata as Linked Open Data, employing the Linked Art model based on the CIDOC CRM [1]. In parallel, the GLOBALISE project [2] is developing an online research infrastructure that employs the CIDOC CRM and extensions to model the UNESCO Memory of the World-listed archival records of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and their contents, making the entities and events that are mentioned searchable and linkable. Our contribution highlights how we can complement a museum's catalog with findings from a research project through the example of an individual object connecting both datasets: the ‘Singalees kanon of Lewuke’s kanon’, better known as the ‘Cannon of Kandy’ [3]. This richly decorated ceremonial cannon, made of precious metals and inlaid with rubies, was part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection until 2023, when it was returned to Sri Lanka [4]. This cannon is an example of an object with a complex context influenced by colonial histories and conflicts, in this particular case VOC rule in Asia and the Kandyan-Dutch War (1762-1766). In a time where it is increasingly important to do justice to the provenance of museum objects, linking our research data to the museum collection provides the necessary context to properly handle and present our cultural heritage. Our proposed method to enrich our understanding of museum objects through historical contexts using the knowledge graphs of the Rijksmuseum and GLOBALISE demonstrates the value of collaboration between research and heritage institutions. [1] https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/nl/onderzoek/onderzoek-doen/data/overzicht; https://linked.art/ [2] https://globalise.huygens.knaw.nl/ [3] Rijksmuseum object no. NG-NM-1015, http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.201394 [4] Schrikker, A., & van den Boogaart, D. (2022). Provenance report regarding Singalees kanon of Lewuke’s kanon. (PPROCE provenance reports; no. 46).