Aims
This course aims to:
• introduce you to key developments in European collecting practice in 1400-1800
• enable you to identify the styles of art discussed in the sessions
• equip you with terminology to compare and contrast the types of objects that were collected
Content
Collecting was a way of marking wealth, status and learning in Europe in 1400-1800. This course will introduce you, in chronological order, to key developments in cultures of collecting and display. By studying the development of collecting practice from the Late Gothic period to the Enlightenment, you will make connections between the art and objects on display in today’s museums and galleries and the societies that amassed them. Ranging across examples including medieval treasuries displaying decorative reliquaries and liturgical vessels, private collections showcasing natural and manmade objects, and casts of classical sculptures commissioned by educational institutions, this 5-session course will enable you to trace the diversity and impact of European cultures of collecting. Through art and objects of international provenance brought together by religious and lay patrons, you will discover contexts for collecting such as cabinets of curiosities, the Grand Tour and the first public museums. You will also explore the role of the printed image in facilitating the spread of collecting practices across Europe. Throughout, you will discuss how collectors and collecting have been influenced by education, religion and taste. You will also be encouraged to consider debates around the conservation of collections and how museums today can give visitors an insight into the histories of art, collecting and display.
Presentation of the course
This course will be taught in a classroom setting using PowerPoint presentations to show you reproductions of artworks. The sessions will encourage discussion.
Course sessions
1. Late Gothic traditions of collecting
We will focus upon a range of religious and secular collections intended for public and private devotional contexts. Decorative metalwork and manuscript illuminations will be discussed as we consider perceptions of value in the later Middle Ages and beyond.
2. Renaissance learning
We will examine the changes in collecting practice that are associated with the spread of Renaissance learning across Europe. In particular, we will focus upon the desire to create 'cabinets of curiosities’ and explore the impact of the printing press upon the priorities of private collectors.
3. Baroque opulence
The art chamber (Kunstkammer) and the treasure chamber (Schatzkammer) are at the core of this session. We will assess how private collectors in the Baroque period modified long-standing collecting practices to curate lavish collections of fine art and art objects.
4. A European Enlightenment
We will investigate how classical learning and pan-European artistic tastes shaped the development of new collections. We will discuss how fresh interest in Ancient Greek and Roman culture brought about a fashion for commissioning casts of classical sculptures and establish how the collecting practices of a Polish king resulted in the establishment of the Dulwich Picture Gallery.
5. Preserving historic collections
In the final session of this course, we will reflect upon what we have learnt about European collections in 1400-1800 by thinking about how art and artefacts can be preserved for the future. We will discuss the difference between preventive conservation and restoration, and consider the importance of restitution as a means of maintaining the integrity of historic collections.
Learning outcomes
You are expected to gain from this series of classroom sessions a greater understanding of the subject and of the core issues and arguments central to the course.
The learning outcomes for this course are:
• familiarity with collecting practices in the Late Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Enlightenment periods
• knowledge of the role of patrons, both religious and secular, in the development of collecting practices in Europe
• an awareness of how to research and preserve historic collections of art and artefacts
Recommended reading:
There are no compulsory readings for this course. Prior to the course, however, you may find it useful to visit a museum or gallery (for example your local museum) and think about what is displayed there and how the art and artefacts have been grouped.
When you are in Cambridge for the course, if possible, try to visit the Fitzwilliam Museum (http://fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk) and the Museum of Classical Archaeology (MOCA - https://www.classics.cam.ac.uk/museum). Alternatively, you can explore the websites of these museums.
The following website is also particularly useful for the Enlightenment session:
The Enlightenment Gallery at the British Museum, London (includes a virtual tour): https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/galleries/enlightenment
You can also browse the following websites to find out more about heritage and collecting policies in the UK, and globally:
Museums Association website: https://www.museumsassociation.org/#
ICOM (International Council of Museums) website: https://icom.museum/en/
UNESCO digital library: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000141067
You may find the below recommended reading list of interest to supplement your course.
For a survey of the field:
Macdonald, Sharon, A Companion to Museum Studies, (Oxford: Blackwell, 2006) [in particular the chapter The Origins of the Public Museum by Jeffrey Abt], Print ISBN:9781405108393 |Online ISBN:9780470996836
Mason, Rhiannon, Alistair Robinson and Emma Coffield, eds. Museum and Gallery Studies: The Basics, (Abingdon: Routledge, 2018) A ‘preview’ of this volume is available from: https://www.routledge.com/Museum-and-Gallery-Studies-The-Basics/Mason-Robinson-
Coffield/p/book/9780415834551
