Call for Paper Proposals
Renaissance Society of America Conference
Dublin, Ireland, 30 March-2 April 2022
Revisiting Collecting Antiquities
The significance of owning and displaying antiquities for the Renaissance collector has never been doubted and the importance of surviving antique works of art for both collectors and artists is well understood. Recent research has shown that the meaning of these works for collectors, that underpinned their acquisition and display, is more nuanced than previously thought, often reflecting market forces as much as the reputation or scholarship of the individual owner. In light of the revived interest in the world of the Renaissance collector, his/her relationship to the market and in questions of connoisseurship and authenticity, the Society for the History of Collecting invites new research and new interpretations of these topics. Areas of particular interest include: the consideration of new types of collectors, such as women and merchants, as well as courtiers; artists’ collections and their importance in the artist’s practice; antique collections outside of Italy; questions of fakes, copies and authenticity and the language of connoisseurship.
As an Associate Organization of RSA, the Society for the History of Collecting can sponsor up to four sessions. Proposalsare invited for 20-minute papers. They must include a title, abstract of no more than 150 words, keywords, a one-page CV and a short summary biography, with PhD completion year or expected completion as of spring 2022. Speakers will need to be members of RSA and members of the Society for the History of Collecting at the time of the conference.
Proposals should be sent to sochistcoll@gmail.com with the heading “RSA Proposal” by 5 August, 2021. Selected papers will be grouped thematically in the case of holding more than one session.
Image Credit: Hieronymus Cock after Maarten van Heemskerck, The statue court of the Palazzo della Valle – Capranica