The Malcove Collection: A Catalogue of the Objects in the Lillian Malcove Collection of the University of Toronto

Patricia Vervoort is an assistant professor of art history at Lakehead
University.

The catalogue of The Malcove Collection is superb and shares with a larger audience the collection of art objects gathered by Dr. Lillian Malcove and now housed at the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies at the University of Toronto. Edited by Sheila Campbell, the curator of the Malcove Collection and Professor at the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, the entries were written by various Canadian scholars, with a few by European and American historians. Over 500 pieces in all, the extensive collection of objects and art works ranges from pre-historic tools and carvings to works produced by twentieth century artists. Some Far Eastern art is also included. Medieval and Byzantine artifacts, however, comprise the greater part of the collection.

An introduction to Lillian Malcove in the form of short biographical sketches by Michael Dollard, Trudy Malcove Schwab, Margaret Meiss, Lawrence J. Majewski, and Hsio Yen Shih opens the catalogue. Dr. Malcove was a New York psychoanalyst who grew up and was trained as a medical doctor in Winnipeg. In leaving the collection to the University of Toronto, Dr. Malcove intended the works to be used as a teaching tool for scholars and the general public. This catalogue aids in the fulfillment of this wish.

Arranged chronologically, each of the 513 objects in the collection is illustrated with a black-and-white photograph. The only color reproduction is on the paper cover (a Romano-Egyptian fresco fragment from Alexandria). Factual information concerning materials, dates, measurements, and culture precedes each entry, which discusses the piece and its context. Bibliographic references are included for most works or for comparative ones. Each entry concludes with the provenance.

Immensely useful, this catalogue makes the works of the Malcove Collection accessible to all. The general public will find the entries to be clearly written explanations of both unfamiliar and familiar objects (censers, cylinder seals, furniture, paintings). The scholar will appreciate the collection of similar objects such as Coptic carvings, medieval tapestry fragments, or icons, and the bibliographic references. Pleasing in its organization and appearance, this catalogue displays the wide range of the tastes and interests of Dr. Lillian Malcove and her endowment to the scholar and public alike.