ABSTRACT
WithinthehistoryofcollectinginWesternEurope,thebulkofactivityhas remainedintheprivatesphere:individualcollectorshaveacquiredthings ofinterestorvaluetothem.Theadventofpublicmuseumsinthelate seventeenthcenturycreated,forthefirsttime,theneedforcoherent institutionalapproachestotheselectionofobjects.Whileformalcollecting policieswerenotinitiallyexplicitlyarticulated,institutionsclearlyhadto takedecisionsregardingtheacquisitionofsingleobjectsandexisting collections.
