Carl Johan Lamm (1902-1981)

Abstract

Carl Johan Lamm (1901-1981) was a Swedish art historian for Near Eastern studies. For his academic career the situation in Sweden was not favourable, because Near Eastern art studies were not well established. Lamm received considerable help of his parents and was thus able to succeed with his far-reaching plans to study glass from the Middle East, travel abroad and receive funds for acquisitions and publications. His meeting with the German scholar Friedrich Sarre (1865-1945), gave Lamm the chance to publish his first two publications on the topic of glass and rock crystal from the early and middle Near Eastern period. He was the first to study glass from Iran, but he also published on Oriental textiles and other art topics. The war 1939-45 proved to be a considerable hinderance for his plans. Lamm was not a companionable character and never joined an institution for an academic career despite his outstanding scholarly reputation as the most important scholar in the field of glass studies from the Near East in his time.

Keywords

• glass from the early and middle near eastern period
• glass from iran
• swedish glass scholar carl johan lamm
• islamic art in sweden