Orientador: Maria de Fátima Morethy Couto / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Artes / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-16T19:05:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Gutiez_MaximilianoFrancisco_D.pdf: 19234810 bytes, checksum: bcadca28683783c8ac13edef59f58baf (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Resumo: O pintor asturiano Evaristo Valle (1873-1951) participa da primeira fase do modernismo espanhol, período em que convive com os intelectuais e artistas da chamada Geração do 98 que tematizam uma Espanha derrubada: após o esfacelamento do seu império colonial, o abismo entre as classes sociais se exacerba e prepara a eclosão da Guerra Civil (1936-1939). A violência e o medo são uma constante durante toda a primeira metade do século XX na Espanha. Neste contexto, Evaristo Valle compõe uma obra lírica, baseada em contrastes cromáticos, a qual retrata personagens típicos do contexto asturiano, representados em seu cotidiano. Aprofundando o olhar, outras dimensões da obra revelam uma realidade que não pertence àquele recorte, mas traduzem uma alegoria do que a Espanha vive naquele momento. Para trazer à tona esta leitura alegórica da pintura de Valle, recorreu-se à obra e visão de autores que procuram compreender o transcendente, a essência não visível presente naquilo que se mostra, entre eles, José Ortega y Gasset que trata de desvelar a alma de um pintor; e Martin Heidegger que delimita a temática do medo e da angústia como categorias existenciais. Por fim, o conceito de máscara de Gaston Bachelard permitiu compreender o sentido do mascarar-se, que vai além do objeto máscara e do disfarce, e explora a possibilidade do homem de inventar-se de outro modo, revelar outras dimensões de si mesmo. Nesta tese, procurou-se ressaltar uma temática constante ao longo da obra de Evaristo Valle: a máscara e o medo. Para a análise desses aspectos, foram selecionadas duas obras particularmente reveladoras: O porão (1935) e Tipos do mar (1950). A primeira é uma "mascarada" teatral que aborda o tema do medo, e que pode ser lida como as anotações de um pintor na criação de suas personagens, escancarando a penumbra que povoa o seu interior. A segunda é uma de suas últimas pinturas, na qual culmina a força mais lírica do trabalho cromático de Valle, e onde estão retratadas com particular intensidade duas almas, dois tipos, ou seja, a síntese do Homem espanhol / Abstract: Asturian painter Evaristo Valle (1873-1951) was part of the first phase of Spanish modernism. During this period, he circulated among intellectuals and artists of the so-called Generation of 98, whose subject matter was Spain defeated. After losing its colonial empire, the immense gap between social classes aggravated and prepared the outburst of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Violence and fear were constant in Spain during the entire first half of the twentieth century. In this context, Evaristo Valle created a lyrical oeuvre, based on chromatic contrasts, in which he depicted typical Asturian characters in their everyday activities. From a deeper point of view, these works of art present other dimensions and reveal a reality that does not belong to that context, but rather translates an allegory of what Spain was going through at that moment. In order to shed light on this allegoric interpretation of Valle?s painting, this dissertation relied on the works of authors who try to comprehend the transcendent, the non-visible essence of what is shown, such as José Ortega y Gasset who seeks to unveil the painter?s soul, and Martin Heidegger, who identifies the subjects of fear and anxiety as existential categories. Finally, the concept of mask by Gaston Bachelard allowed us to grasp the meaning of masking oneself, which goes beyond the mask as an object of disguise, and explores the possibility of man re-inventing himself differently and revealing other dimensions of himself. In this dissertation, a constant topic of Evaristo Valle?s oeuvre has been highlighted: the mask and fear. In order to analyze these concepts, two particularly revealing works of art have been selected: The basement (1935) and Types of the sea (1950). The former is a theatrical masquerade about fear, which can be interpreted as the notes a painter takes when creating his characters, thereby revealing the dusk that inhabits his inner self. The latter is one of his last paintings, where one can find the strongest lyrical force of Valle?s chromatic work, and in which he portrayed in a particularly intense manner two souls or two types: that is, the synthesis of the Spanish Man / Doutorado / Doutor em Artes

Esta dissertação tem como objeto de estudo a elaboração do conceito, \"movimento-imagem-ideia\", desenvolvido no percurso de uma prática de improvisação. Iniciada no teatro, por meio dos aprendizados do jogo teatral, do jogo das máscaras, como a commedia dell\'arte e o palhaço, encontra a dança e as abordagens somáticas, ampliando-se e oferecendo estrutura à autonomia do intérprete improvisacional. As pesquisas cênicas que constituíram caminho e estabelecimento dessa conceituação, analisadas neste trabalho, têm por foco a improvisação e a máscara de A Troupe de Atmosfera Nômade; as improvisações em tempo real, diante do público, da Cia. Nova Dança 4; e a estrutura pré-fixada na dança, em Ladies, da inocência à crueldade, com possibilidades de rupturas improvisacionais. / This dissertation investigates the elaboration of a concept, \"movementimage- idea\", developed during an improvisation practice. When this improvisation - which started in the theatre with the use of theatre games, mask games, such as commedia dell\'arte and clowns - meets dance and somatic approaches, it is amplified, now offering structure to the autonomy of the improvisational actor. Previous research on performing arts that have paved a path to the establishment of the concept analyzed here focus on A Troupe de Atmosfera Nômade\'s use of improvisation and masks; Cia Nova Dança 4\'s real time improvisation in front of an audience; and the structure prefixed on dancing, in Ladies, from innocence to cruelty, with possible improvisational ruptures.

Estudo com objetivo de avaliar e comparar o desempenho teórico e prático de estudantes de enfermagem submetidos a estratégias de ensino-aprendizagem, aula expositivo-dialogada e atividade prática em laboratório de habilidades ou aula simulada, no manejo da via aérea em emergências por meio da máscara laríngea (ML). Estudo com delineamento experimental, abordagem quantitativa, de intervenção tipo Ensaio Clínico Randomizado Controlado. A população consistiu dos estudantes do oitavo período, bacharelado, da Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto e a amostra de 17 estudantes, randomizados para grupo controle (GC) e grupo intervenção (GI). O GC foi submetido à aula expositivo-dialogada seguida de atividade prática em laboratório de habilidades com manequim de baixa fidelidade e o GI à aula simulada em laboratório utilizando o mesmo manequim. Elaboraram-se os instrumentos de avaliação escrita, cenário de simulação e avaliação clínica objetiva e estruturada no cenário de simulação (checklist), validados em aparência e conteúdo por comitê de juízes. A estratégia de coleta de dados foi Workshop intitulado \"Manejo da via aérea em emergências: uso da ML\". Foram avaliados teste escrito e OSCE (Exame Clínico Objetivo Estruturado) - avaliação clínica estruturada em Laboratório de Simulação, este último empregando como ferramenta o manequim de média-fidelidade. A atividade foi filmada e analisada por três avaliadores. Analisaram-se os desfechos: desempenho teórico no teste escrito e prático no OSCE, tempo de execução do OSCE, tempo para obtenção da primeira ventilação eficaz, número de tentativas para inserção da ML até obtenção de ventilação efetiva. Resultados: 16 estudantes eram do sexo feminino e um do sexo masculino, a idade média 24,4±4,2 anos. No pré-teste a nota média do GC de 6,6±1,0 e do GI de 6,5±0,5 e a mediana para ambos 6,5. No pós-teste a nota média do GC foi 8,4±0,8 (mediana 8,5), do GI de 8,6±1,1 (mediana 8,6). Comparando-se as médias obtidas no pré-teste por ambos os grupos, não há diferença estatisticamente significante (p=07427). Tal fato também pôde ser constatado no pós-teste (p=0,7117). Comparando as notas pré e pós-teste do GC evidenciou diferença estatisticamente significante (p=0,0025) o que também ocorreu para o GI (p=0,0002). A média no OSCE do GC foi 7,8±0,52 e GI 8,4±0,89; comparou-se tais notas verificando-se que não há diferença estatisticamente significante (p=0,0822). A média obtida pelo GC no pós-teste foi maior que a média obtida no OSCE e, para o GI, são equivalentes. O tempo médio de execução do OSCE pelo GC foi 479,8±183,3s (mediana 468,5s) e no GI 520,3±157s (mediana 506s), não havendo diferença estatisticamente significante (p=0,6311) e também para obtenção da primeira ventilação eficaz (p=0,9835). A média do nº tentativas para inserção da ML pelo GC 1,63±0,74 e GI 1,56±0,63. Embora os resultados não apontem diferença estatisticamente significante entre as médias dos grupos no pós-teste, para o GI os escores foram superiores. No presente estudo, apesar de diferentes estratégias de ensino abordarem o manejo da via aérea em emergências com a ML, os resultados demonstram que as mesmas foram eficazes e os objetivos de aprendizagem foram alcançados, pois houve incremento nas notas obtidas no pós-teste e no OSCE em ambos os grupos. / Study aimed to evaluate and compare the theoretical and practical performance of nursing students subjected to teaching and learning strategies, exhibition-dialogued class, and practical activity in skill lab or simulated class in airway management in emergencies through laryngeal mask (LM). This is a study of experimental design, quantitative approach, intervention type, Controlled Randomized Trials. The population consisted of students in the eighth semester from the Bachelor\'s Degree of the University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing and the sample consisted of 17 students, randomly assigned to the control group (CG) and the intervention group (IG). The CG was subjected to exhibition-dialogued class followed by practical activity in skill lab with low-fidelity mannequin and the IG to simulated class in the lab using the same mannequin. Written evaluation instruments, simulation scenario and objective structured clinical evaluation in simulation scenario (checklist) were developed and validated in appearance and content by a committee of judges. The strategy for data collection was the workshop entitled \"Airway management in emergencies: use of LM\". They were evaluates through written test and the OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) - structured clinical evaluation in Simulation Laboratory, the latter employing the medium-fidelity mannequin as tool. The activity was filmed and analyzed by three evaluators. The outcomes were analyzed: theoretical performance in written and practical test in the OSCE, the OSCE runtime, time to obtain the first effective ventilation, number of attempts to insert the LM to obtain effective ventilation. Results: 16 students were female and one male, mean age 24.4±4.2 years. In the pre-test the score average of CG was 6.6±1.0 and of IG was 6.5±0.5 and the median for both was 6.5. At post-test, the average score of CG was 8.4±0.8 (median 8.5), of IG was 8.6±1.1 (median 8.6). Comparing the averages obtained in the pre-test for both groups, there was no statistically significant difference (p=0.7427). This fact could also be observed in the post-test (p=0.7117). Comparing notes of pre and post-test of CG there was a statistically significant difference (p=0.0025) which also occurred for IG (p=0.0002). The mean of the OSCE for CG was 7.8±0.52 and for IG was 8,4±0,89; compared to such notes and it was verified that there is no statistically significant difference (p=0.0822). The average obtained by CG in the post-test was higher than the average obtained IG in the OSCE, and for IG they were equivalent. The average execution time of the OSCE for CG was 479.8 ± 183.3s (median 468.5s) and for IG 520.3±157s (506s median), with no statistically significant difference (p=0.6311) and also for obtaining the first effective ventilation (p=0.9835). The average of attempts to insert the LM by CG was 1.63±0.74 and by IG was 1.56±0.63 GI. Although the results do not indicate a statistically significant difference between the averages of the groups in the post-test, the scores were higher for IG. In this study, although different teaching strategies addressing airway management in emergencies through LM were used, the results show that they were effective and the learning objectives have been achieved, because there was an increase in the scores obtained in the post-test and in the OSCE in both groups.

Nyau Masquerades have been studied by missionaries, anthropologists and religious specialists, but have seldom been documented by theatre and performance specialists. This dissertation argues for the acceptance of Ny au performance as a contemporary world theatre form rooted in tradition. Charting the uneasy relationship between the Nyau and those who have sought to record their performances, the author delineates a vivid dramaturgy of this art form. In doing so, the boundaries of what define theatre as it has traditionally been understood in dominant discourses are made more fluid. Nyau performances have been affected by Colonial processes in varied ways. They were banned by the former government of Northern Rhodesia and severely censored by Catholic Mission teachings in the former Nyasaland. Other forms of vilification have been more subtle. Information about performance in Africa has often been collected and arranged in ways which limit the understanding of these genres. Images of Africa which cluster around the notion of the 'Primitive Other' have enabled a representation of Ny au masking as a superstitious and outdated practice with no relevance for contemporary Africa. This work calls for a new examination of the Nyau, through the lens of local discourse as well as contemporary global understandings of performance. Chapter One examines the issue of primitivism and the ways in which Africa has historically been posited as the exotic Other to Europe. Chapter Two examines the Nyau ih terms of specific dramaturgical elements, adjusting previous misconceptions surrounding the theatr~ forms of Chewa and Nyanja people. Chapter Three is devoted to a discussion of space in ritual theatre and Nyau performance, while Chapter Four explores masking and questions of transformation and liminality. In conclusion, it is seen that the use of the mask is a metaphor for the suspension of rigid boundaries separating subject/object, self/other, ritual/theatre, a suspension which needs to take place before an enriched understanding of performance in Africa can be reached.

Orientador: Matteo Bonfitto Júnior / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Artes / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-26T19:13:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lopes_MarianaCondeRhormens_M.pdf: 23461527 bytes, checksum: 76e096e224a07e0a66981d51c2e10bcf (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: O Mapiko é manifestação cultural do povo Maconde, originário da província de Cabo Delgado, norte de Moçambique. Mapiko é o nome dado à manifestação cultural tradicional e à máscara utilizada por ela. Tal manifestação mistura música, dança e cena. Rodeado de mistérios e segredos; ao som de batuques e cantos tradicionais, o mascarado realiza sua dança. A manifestação, tendo como base o imaginário do povo Maconde, apropria-se do mundo espiritual e cria a convicção da existência de ligação lógica entre o dançarino mascarado e as suas crenças. O Mapiko possibilita, através da arte, a representação dos diferentes modos de estar na vida espiritual, usando a força da sua história e do seu cotidiano, transmitindo em cada dança as suas convicções. Este trabalho aborda aspectos do Mapiko tais como sua origem, tradição, cantos, batuques, máscaras e especificidades da dança realizada pelo mascarado. A pesquisa também reflete sobre questões acerca dos segredos, mistérios e limites da pesquisa acadêmica sobre tal tradição. A tese inicia-se com a descrição do trabalho de campo realizado em Moçambique em 2014 e explora as descobertas e dificuldades encontradas. O trabalho propõe, portanto, ao leitor, um mergulho no universo do Mapiko, passeando entre mistérios, cores, aromas, imagens e sabores do povo Maconde. A tese é acompanhada por um DVD que contém um documentário sobre o Mapiko e o processo de aprendizagem vivenciado pela atriz-pesquisadora em Moçambique / Abstract: Mapiko is a cultural expression of Maconde¿s people original from Cabo Delgado¿s province on the north of Mozambique. Mapiko is the traditional cultural expression and the mask used on it. This expression brings together music, dance and scene. Surrounded by mystery and secrecy; to the sound of drums and traditional song, the masquerade holds his dance. The expression has its base on the imaginary of Maconde¿s people who appropriates the spiritual world, creating the belief of the existence of a logical link between the masquerade dancer and his beliefs. Trough art, Mapiko makes possible the representation of different ways of being in the spiritual life. It uses the power of its stories and its everyday aspects conveying in each dance its beliefs. The present work addresses the aspects of Mapiko such as its origins, tradition, songs, drumming, masks and particularities in the dance performed by the masquerade. The research also reflects on issues about the secrets, mystery and limits of the academic research about the theme. The dissertation begins with the description of the fieldwork in 2014 in Mozambique and explores its discoveries and difficulties. The work propose the reader to dive into Mapiko¿s universe, along with its mysteries, colours, aromas, images and flavours of Maconde¿s people. A DVD accompanies the dissertation which contains a documentary about Mapiko and the learning process experienced by the actress-researcher in Mozambique / Mestrado / Teatro, Dança e Performance / Mestra em Artes Visuais

The artist discusses his Master of Fine Arts exhibit, titled DUNIDEDCUDIGUNADIE. The exhibit is to be held at the Tipton Gallery in downtown Johnson City, TN, from April 2nd to April 10th, 2020. A live reception will be held the evening of April 3rd, featuring a performance with the work, titled Look at You! The following thesis explores the artist’s formative years – investigating how childhood experiences combine with artistic and theoretical influences to inform his art-making process.

Human decisions are simultaneously determined by economic incentives and psychological motivations. Based upon this fundamental assumption, I compose three interdisciplinary studies which analyze individual, collective and government actions at multiple levels of aggregation, and how they in turn lead to various economic and psychological outcomes. In the first study, Iexplore the key predictors of the level of compliance to social distancing and mask wearing in the United states by aggregating interdisciplinary datasets and applying multi-level analysis. I use a behavioral model to classify the determinants of compliance to COVID-19 response measures into economic incentives and psychological motivations and show that the former would have an increasing marginal effect on working hours. Empirically, I show that (a) economic vulnerability was the key predictor of failure of social distancing in 2020, even taking partisanship into account. (b) mask wearing was more politicized than social distancing, and in Fall (close to the elections), Republican partisanship was the only dominant indicator of noncompliance of mask wearing. In the second study, we use a coordination game model to discuss the dynamics of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) on COVID-19 in the United States. We use atheoretical model to justify that there exist social reinforcement effects between policies in US states, i.e. the implementation of an NPI in a state would increase the possibility that others follow suit. Under certain conditions, if enough states engage in NPIs, they will tip others that have not yet done so to follow suit and thus shift the Nash equilibrium to the greatest one (allstates follow). Then, we show that there can be equilibria where states with different political leanings adopt different strategies when politics is a determinant of the interaction intensity. Empirically, we use a random utility model (RUM) to test it in reality with Probit and Logit regressions, and find robust evidence that inter-state social reinforcement is important and that equilibria can be tipped in mask wearing, and slightly weaker confirmation for social distancing. In the last study, I explore how personality traits in China are different from the traditional Five-Factor model by a large twin dataset in Yunnan Province. I find robust evidence about personality structures, formation and impacts in China and state three findings: (1) Personality traits in China seem to have a significance deviation from the well-accepted Five Factor Model. Instead, it has two general factors, relying on whether the item is positive or negative in tone. Positive factors include Social Desirability, Extraversion and Openness; negative factors include Disorderliness, Neuroticism and Introversion. (2) The genetic heritability of personality traits in China is significantly lower than that measured in the Western countries. For some traits, such as Social Desirability and Disorderliness, the genetic effect is around 0 and the shared environmental effect is much larger. This challenges previous findings in the West. (3) Using a within-twin fixed effect model, we find suggestive evidence on the causal effect on economic preferences and outcomes, including education performance, income, risk attitudes and subjective well-being.These three studies use the similar behavioral science methodology to study different levels of decision making, and all have important implications for issues of sustainable development.

El trabajo de investigación tiene como objetivo demostrar la viabilidad del proyecto de mascarillas transparentes, ya que durante la pandemia existen personas con discapacidad auditiva que se han visto afectadas por el uso de las mascarillas tradicionales. Actualmente no se está explotando el comercio de este tipo de mascarillas, por lo que existe una gran oportunidad de fomentar la compra y uso de estas mascarillas por medio de campañas de concientización, sobre los efectos de las mascarillas tradicionales para personas con discapacidad auditiva. Para comprobar la viabilidad del proyecto se realizarán investigaciones de mercado por medio de entrevistas y se medirá la intensión de compra a través de pruebas en las redes sociales. Estos análisis son dirigidos a personas de Lima Metropolitana que se encuentran en el nivel socioeconómico A y B. Del mismo modo, se trabajarán los análisis financieros necesarios, que permitirán obtener rentabilidad desde el primer año. Asimismo, para cada uno de los primeros cinco años proyectados para la empresa, el crecimiento será de 10% con respecto al año anterior. Para el inicio de operaciones se requerirá una inversión de S/. 69, 193.00 que comprende los activos tangibles, activos intangibles y el capital de trabajo. El 50% de esta inversión correrá por cuenta de los accionistas y el otro 50% será financiado por una entidad bancaria. Esta inversión se recuperará en un corto plazo, obteniendo un VAN de S/. 58, 416.00 y una TIR de 77% para los inversionistas. / The research work aims to demonstrate the viability of the transparent mask project, since during the pandemic there are people with hearing disabilities who have been affected by the use of traditional masks. Nowadays this type of masks is not currently being exploited, the company has a great opportunity to promote the purchase and use of these masks through awareness campaigns about the effects of traditional masks for deaf-mute people. To verify the viability of the project, market research will be carried out through interviews and the purchase intention will be measured through tests on social networks. These analyzes are aimed at people from Lima city who are in socioeconomic level A and B. In the same way, the necessary financial analyzes will be carried out, which will allow obtaining profitability from the first year. Likewise, for each of the first five years projected for the company, growth will be 10% compared to the previous year. For the start of operations we need an investment of S /. 69, 193.00 which includes tangible assets, intangible assets and working capital. 50% of this investment will be granted by the shareholders and the other 50% will be financed by a bank. This investment will be recovered in a short term, obtaining a NPV of S /. 58, 416.00 and an IRR of 77% for investors. / Trabajo de investigación

El presente proyecto trata del análisis de factibilidad para el establecimiento de una empresa de fabricación de indumentaria de seguridad e higiene de uso hospitalario, considerando una proyección de 5 años. Nuestra marca “HIDMED”, por sus siglas en inglés High Indumentary Design, expresa la alta calidad y el diseño que brindaremos con la indumentaria que produciremos. Los productos estarán dirigidos al sector salud, siendo nuestros clientes potenciales: Hospitales MINSA, ESSALUD, Centros Médicos y Clínicas Privadas de Lima y Callao, los cuales serán elaborados en tela no tejida de polipropileno con ligas en el borde para un buen ajuste y cobertura total que evita el contacto con el producto, su diseño impide la transferencia de agentes contaminantes físicos brindando seguridad, bienestar y comodidad al personal de salud. Estos son toca tipo tira y mascarilla plana. La oportunidad de negocio se basa luego de observar la escasez y barreras comerciales para estos productos en el país además del crecimiento de este mercado en los próximos años, otros factores a evaluar son el incremento de centros asistenciales tanto públicos como privados y varios factores micro y macro económicos los cuales nos indican que el crecimiento de la economía en el Perú nos brinda un entorno adecuado para la realización de este proyecto. Nuestra estrategia será de diferenciación al ofrecer ambos productos de mayor calidad acordes al mercado local que actualmente la competencia importa los productos en baja resistencia y calidad. / The present project deals with the feasibility analysis for the establishment of a company for the manufacture of safety and hygiene clothing for hospital use, considering a projection of 5 years. Our brand "HIDMED", for its acronym in English High Indumentary Design, expresses the high quality and design that we provide with the clothing that we will produce. The products will be directed to the health sector, being our potential clients: Hospitals MINSA, ESSALUD, Medical Centers and Private Clinics of Lima and Callao, which will be made of non-woven polypropylene fabric with garters on the edge for a good fit and full coverage that avoids contact with the product, its design prevents the transfer of physical contaminants providing safety, well-being and comfort to health personnel. These are Tap type strip and Flat mask. The business opportunity is based on observing the scarcity and trade barriers for these products in the country as well as the growth of this market in the coming years, other factors to be evaluated are the increase of both public and private assistance centers and several micro and economic macro which indicate that the growth of the economy in Perú gives us an adequate environment for the realization of this project. Our strategy will be of differentiation by offering both products of higher quality according to the local market that currently the competition imports the products in low resistance and quality. / Trabajo de investigación

The destructive nature of conventional analytical techniques, coupled with the finite nature of ancient/historical artefacts, has long restricted technical examinations of museum collections, mainly due to ethical constraints. However, over the past few decades, the application of Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) techniques has become increasingly popular within the fields of archaeology and cultural heritage diagnostics. The application of such techniques has facilitated the examination of objects that have long remained uninvestigated. However, this positive development also held a slight drawback, in that researchers tend to now focus on technical analyses alone, while excluding more traditional means of analyses, such as comparative stylistic analysis and surface investigation. By employing a combination of stylistic analysis, visual surface investigation (by means of SLR photography and digital microscopy) and nuclear imaging (by means of Microfocus X-Ray Computed Tomography), the thesis sets out to justify the application of mixed methodologies as part of a more holistic integrated authentication approach. Thus stated, the thesis presents a mixed-methodological approach towards the analysis of selected metal objects from the Ditsong National Museum of Cultural History in Pretoria, South Africa. The objects under investigation include a small collection of ancient Egyptian bronze statuettes, a Samurai helmet (kabuto) and mask (menpó), a European gauntlet, and an Arabian dagger (jambiya/khanjar). While all the objects are curated as part of the museum’s archaeology and military history collections, the exact production dates, manufacturing techniques and areas of origin remain a mystery. By using a combination of techniques, the thesis aims to identify diagnostic features that can be used to shed light on their relative age, culturo-chronological framework and, by extension, their authenticity. / Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies