Overview
Consists of correspondence and miscellaneous papers of C. Adrian Rübel, art collector and founder of the Rübel Asiatic Research Collection at the Fine Arts Library, Harvard University.
Dates
- Creation: 1931-1988
Language of Materials
Collection materials are in English and German.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Please contact Special Collections, Fine Arts Library, Harvard University.
Extent
.5 linear feet (1 document box)Collection includes the correspondence and miscellaneous papers of art collector C. Adrian Rübel. Among the correspondence are 14 letters written to Langdon Warner, Rübel’s former professor at Harvard and a curator at the Fogg Museum. Early letters document Rübel’s art collecting and research abroad, as well as his support of the Fogg Museum’s Asiastic Research Bureau.
The collection also includes Rübel’s correspondence with other staff of the Fogg Museum and Harvard’s Department of Asiastic Art. Spanning five decades, these letters show Rübel’s long-standing support for the research and collection of Asian art at Harvard.
Also included are several letters and memoranda written after Rübel’s death in 1978, as well as obituaries and a program for his memorial service.
For more information about the Rübel Asiatic Research Collection, please visit the Fine Arts Library’s collection page.
Biographical / Historical
C. Adrian Rübel (1904-1978) was an art collector specializing in Asian art. He graduated from Harvard University in 1926 and was named an Associate of the Fogg Art Museum and an Associate of the Asiatic Department of Harvard College in 1934. In 1927, Rübel established the Asiastic Research Bureau, a research library at the Fogg Museum related to the history of Asian art and archaeology. In 1978, the collection was renamed the Rübel Asiatic Research Collection and integrated into Harvard’s Fine Arts Library. Rübel died in Cambridge on January 10, 1978.
Arrangement
Collection is arranged into the following two series: I. Correspondence; II. Miscellaneous papers.
Correspondence files are arranged chronologically.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Collection material is from the Fine Arts Library office files; provenance prior to Fine Arts Library unknown.
Processing Information
Processed by Max Goldberg, July 2023.
- Title
- Rübel, C. Adrian. C. Adrian Rübel papers, 1931-1988 (MS 4): Guide.
- Status
- completed
- Date
- July 2023
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- eng
- EAD ID
- fal00014
Repository Details
Part of the Fine Arts Library Repository
The Fine Arts Library is among the leading libraries in the world for the study of art, architecture, and visual culture from antiquity to the present. Since 1895, FAL has served the needs of the visual arts community at Harvard, providing research and curricular support for all areas in the history of art, architecture, photography, and the decorative arts. FAL's archival collections may be consulted in the Special Collections Study Room by appointment only.
Littauer Center
1805 Cambridge Street
Harvard University North Yard
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
(617) 495-4656
falibref@fas.harvard.edu