COLLECTING AND THE PATRONS’ INPUT
Call for papers for submission to RSA in early May
In recent decades, the early modern period has received particular
attention from historians engaged in researching the history of
collections. Ranging from the kunst- and wunderkammern to early
galleries, gardens and menageries, diverse collections and forms of
display have been explored. The variety of related themes and theories
has grown considerably under the impact of archival research and new
approaches to cultural and museum studies. Although to some extent still
dominated by Italian art historical concerns, the field has finally
become international and multidisciplinary.
Recent investigations have focused on art markets, globalisation and
source countries and found inspiration in actors’ network theory (ANT)
and court studies, consequently one may get the impression that the
collector was entangled in a web of expert opinion, fashion trends, peer
pressure and the dictates of availability and cost, with little
decision-making left to him or herself. The international forum
Collecting & Display, therefore, proposes to dedicate at least one
session to the early modern patrons’ actual input. How actively involved
was the owner of a collection in building his or her possessions and
deciding on the forms of display adopted? Was there a quantifiable
difference between the involvement of a princely collector, a scholarly
collector and a courtier? How much time and effort was dedicated by
collectors, whether male or female, to collecting activities? Who took
the final decision in a case of dispute? How important were donations
and exchanges between collectors and visitors? How were purchases made
by the collector, had they always viewed their purchases in advance, or
were they wholly reliant on others? Are the collectors’ specifications
revealing as examples of their taste? How much funding were collectors
prepared to invest on the objects and the agents’ commission?
We invite proposals of not more than 150 words (in English) plus a max.
300-word CV from historians of collections interested in discussing the
input of collectors. Papers ought to last 20 minutes max. and proposals
should be sent by 31 May to [log in to unmask] We are
particularly interested in presentations that reflect the wider social,
geographical and disciplinary spectrum of the history of collections,
1250 to 1650. Participants are responsible for their own travel and
accommodation and must be members of the RSA at the time of the
conference. For more information about the RSA annual meeting, please
consult www.rsa.org.
Tags: history of collections, court culture, thirteenth to seventeenth
century, female patrons, gendered collections, scholarly collections,
collections and the professions, expert opinion, gift giving, markets
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