Collecting Renaissance decorative arts and the making of the modern museum, 1850-1900.
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: History
Abstract
The project aims to provide, for the first time, a detailed study of the collecting networks of medieval and Renaissance decorative arts in the UK during the second half of the nineteenth century and how this contributed to the formation of museum collections starting with the British Museum, but also extending to the V&A, Ashmolean Museum and beyond, focusing on the influence of exhibitions, dealers, collectors and key objects.
Research questions would comprise: What social and economic factors generated the renewed interest in medieval and Renaissance objects during the second half of the nineteenth century, and how did the fashion for this type of collecting spread? How did key curators and collectors inform scholarship and understanding of this material through display and exhibition during this period, and how did their networks with dealers and other collectors allow them to acquire what they did? What was the impact of this type of collecting on the art market and the making of the modern museum? For example, how and why did certain objects become part of the British Museum's collections, rather than those of the V&A or another institution? How did it influence collecting policies at these institutions? Why and how did museums depend on collectors' bequests to secure this material, and why was this a new phenomenon? How did demand stimulate faking and forgery of medieval and Renaissance objects towards the end of the nineteenth century, and what was the impact of this on museums?
Research materials would include: Surviving correspondence between collectors and curators, photographic and other archival material held by the British Museum, V & A and Ashmolean Museum and beyond; exploration of provenance and acquisition of objects through object files and records in the British Museum and beyond; the study of exhibition and auction catalogues (some annotated) in various institutions; relevant theoretical texts. There is ample scope for the candidate to mould the direction of the research depending on the discoveries arising from these sources.
In year 1 there will be an externally-assessed submission to Cambridge in the spring, comprising: i) a 'progress essay' (motivating the topic, surveying the literature, proposing a timeline for research), and ii) a completed piece
of research of the candidate's choosing, as a 'sample' which could also serve as a seminar paper or journal article (each under 10,000 words). Year 2 will cover the bulk of the research of the proposed sources and topics, year 3 will be devoted to completing and writing up the research.
Research questions would comprise: What social and economic factors generated the renewed interest in medieval and Renaissance objects during the second half of the nineteenth century, and how did the fashion for this type of collecting spread? How did key curators and collectors inform scholarship and understanding of this material through display and exhibition during this period, and how did their networks with dealers and other collectors allow them to acquire what they did? What was the impact of this type of collecting on the art market and the making of the modern museum? For example, how and why did certain objects become part of the British Museum's collections, rather than those of the V&A or another institution? How did it influence collecting policies at these institutions? Why and how did museums depend on collectors' bequests to secure this material, and why was this a new phenomenon? How did demand stimulate faking and forgery of medieval and Renaissance objects towards the end of the nineteenth century, and what was the impact of this on museums?
Research materials would include: Surviving correspondence between collectors and curators, photographic and other archival material held by the British Museum, V & A and Ashmolean Museum and beyond; exploration of provenance and acquisition of objects through object files and records in the British Museum and beyond; the study of exhibition and auction catalogues (some annotated) in various institutions; relevant theoretical texts. There is ample scope for the candidate to mould the direction of the research depending on the discoveries arising from these sources.
In year 1 there will be an externally-assessed submission to Cambridge in the spring, comprising: i) a 'progress essay' (motivating the topic, surveying the literature, proposing a timeline for research), and ii) a completed piece
of research of the candidate's choosing, as a 'sample' which could also serve as a seminar paper or journal article (each under 10,000 words). Year 2 will cover the bulk of the research of the proposed sources and topics, year 3 will be devoted to completing and writing up the research.
People |
ORCID iD |
Peter Mandler (Primary Supervisor) | |
Eloise Donnelly (Student) |
Description | Findings have been incorporated into the British Museum's public engagement programme through a series of free public gallery talks. |
First Year Of Impact | 2016 |
Sector | Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
Impact Types | Cultural |
Description | Histories of Collections and Institutions Conference |
Organisation | National Gallery, London |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Co-organisation of a conference held in May 2017 at the National Gallery for all Collaborative Doctoral Students working on an aspect of institutional collecting history (submission of application for funding; drafting call for papers; reviewing submissions, logistical arrangements.) |
Collaborator Contribution | Providing advice on topics, scope and speakers, providing access to facilities and equipment. |
Impact | Increased collaboration between doctoral researchers working across topics; the outcomes of the conference were presented at the British Museum's Collecting Histories Research Group meeting in order to feed into Research Strategy. |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Gallery Talk (British Museum, August 2017) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Approximately 45 members of the public attended a talk in Gallery 2 of the British Museum, titled 'A.W. Franks and Renaissance Art Collecting 1850-1900.' It sparked questions and discussion about particular objects, leading to increased footfall to view objects in other areas of the Museum and increased engagement with digital tools including the online collection database. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | http://britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar/event_detail.aspx?eventId=3814&title=A%20W%20Frank... |
Description | Gallery Talk (British Museum, December 2017) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Approximately 50 people attended a Gallery Talk in Gallery 2a of the British Museum, titled 'The Holy Thorn Reliquary', focussing on the collecting history of one object. The talk sparked questions on the subject of fakes and forgeries in museum collections and increased visitor engagement with digital tools and online interpretation. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar/event_detail.aspx?eventId=4029&title=The%20Hol... |
Description | Gallery Talk (British Museum, February 2016) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Approximately 40 members of the public attended a Gallery Talk in the Waddesdon Bequest gallery at the British Museum, titled 'Curiosities and Connoisseurs: Collecting Renaissance Art in the nineteenth century.' Impact included enhanced visitor engagement with digital interactive tools in the gallery and online, and visits to related objects in other galleries in the Museum. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar/event_detail.aspx?eventId=3104&title=Curiositi... |
Description | Gallery Talk (British Museum, February 2017) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | 40 people attended a talk held in Gallery 46 of the British Museum titled 'The rediscovery of Limoges enamels in the 19th century.' The talk sparked questions about the Museum's history, increased awareness about enamelling techniques and resulted in increased visitor engagement with enamelled vessels and ceramics in other galleries of the Museum. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar/event_detail.aspx?eventId=3451&title=Rediscove... |
Description | Gallery Talk (British Museum, February 2018) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | 35 people attended a gallery talk in Gallery 2a of the British Museum on the theme of 'Symbols of Love and Marriage in the Waddesdon Bequest.' The talk led to questions about the history of the bequest and techniques of making, as well as increased visitor engagement with social media platforms and online videos exploring other aspects of the collection. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar/event_detail.aspx?eventId=4204&title=A |
Description | Gallery Talk (Fitzwilliam Museum) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | 30 people attended a Gallery Talk in the Fitzwilliam Museum on the studio potter Lucie Rie in the context of the collection at Kettle's Yard. The talk sparked questions and discussion about collecting, bequests and ceramics techniques, and raised awareness about the redevelopment of Kettle's Yard. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | http://www.kettlesyard.co.uk/events/in-focus-lucie-rie/ |
Description | Gallery talk (British Museum, December 2018) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Approximately 35 members of the public attended a Gallery Talk about the history of European Renaissance ceramics collecting at the British Museum, which sparked questions and discussion and engagement on social media channels. This was part of the British Museum's Collecting Histories Public Engagement project. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar/event_detail.aspx?eventId=4839&title=Collecting%2... |
Description | Gallery talk (Jewish Care) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | A group of approx 20 holocaust survivors visited the British Museum for a talk and tour of the Waddesdon Bequest Gallery arranged in collaboration with the Jewish Care charity, with a focus on the Rothschilds' philanthropy within the Jewish community and collecting of Judaica. The audience reported their pleasure and surprise at the spotlight given to this aspect of the collection in the gallery setting. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Gallery tour and workshop (Warburg MA students) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | The session was part of the Warburg's Techniques of Scholarship module, which aims to teach students about working with objects and the history, curation and display of collections. Following a tour of the collection and discussion of key objects students were set a task of photographing a chosen object from the Waddesdon Bequest at the British Museum in order to learn how to negotiate the reflections of vitrines or the vagaries of different photographic technologies (from DSLRs to iPhones). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Lecture (V&A Museum) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | 20 people attended a lecture on the rediscovery of Renaissance enamels in Britain, followed by an object handling session and open discussion, leading to increased visitor engagement with enamels in the Renaissance and 1600-1800 Galleries at the V&A Museum. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Lecture (V&A) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Approximately 30 members of the public attended this lecture on German Renaissance Stoneware. The lecture sparked questions and discussion, and encouraged increased visits to the ceramics study galleries at the V&A. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://vanda-production-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/2019/02/13/11/16/45/22458178-5f8f-4bef-b9aa-6e16834... |
Description | Objects in Space, Subjects in Time: The Material Cultures of Postcolonial History CHASE Doctoral Workshop |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | 9 doctoral students attended the British Museum for a tour of the Waddesdon Bequest, followed by an object handling session and discussion about the material cultures of postcolonial history. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |