Conchophilia : shells, art, and curiosity in early modern Europe / Marisa Anne Bass [and three others].

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bass, Marisa, 1981- author.

Contributor:

Bass, Marisa, 1981-

Dickey, Stephanie.

Goldgar, Anne, writer of introduction.

Grasskamp, Anna.

Grootenboer, Hanneke.

Swan, Claudia.

Watson, Róisín.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Shells.

Collectors and collecting--History--Europe.

Collectors and collecting.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (240 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, [2021]

Summary:

A captivating historical look at the cultural and artistic significance of shells in early modern EuropeAmong nature's most artful creations, shells have long inspired the curiosity and passion of artisans, artists, collectors, and thinkers. Conchophilia delves into the intimate relationship between shells and people, offering an unprecedented account of the early modern era when the influx of exotic shells to Europe fueled their study and representation as never before. From elaborate nautilus cups and shell-encrusted grottoes to delicate miniatures, this richly illustrated book reveals how the love of shells intersected not only with the rise of natural history and global trade but also with philosophical inquiry, issues of race and gender, and the ascent of art-historical connoisseurship.Shells circulated at the nexus of commerce and intellectual pursuit, suggesting new ways of thinking about relationships between Europe and the rest of the world. The authors focus on northern Europe, where the interest and trade in shells had its greatest impact on the visual arts. They consider how shells were perceived as exotic objects, the role of shells in courtly collections, their place in still-life tableaus, and the connections between their forms and those of the human body. They examine how artists gilded, carved, etched, and inked shells to evoke the permeable boundary between art and nature. These interactions with shells shaped the ways that early modern individuals perceived their relation to the natural world, and their endeavors of art and knowledge.Spanning painting and print to architecture and the decorative arts, Conchophilia uncovers the fascinating ways that shells were circulated, depicted, collected, and valued, during a time of remarkable global change.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

1 Introduction: For the Love of Shells

Part I Surface Matters

Chapter 1: The Nature of Exotic Shells

Chapter 2: Shells, Bodies, and the Collector's Cabinet

Part II Microworlds of Thought

Chapter 3: Shell Life, or the Unstill Life of Shells

Chapter 4: Thinking with Shells in Petronella Oortman's Dollhouse

Part III The Multiple Experienced

Chapter 5: Shells and Grottoes in Early Modern Germany

Chapter 6: Shells, Prints, and the Discerning Eye

Acknowledgments

Notes

Bibliography

Contributors

Index

Illustration Credits

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780691220246

0691220247

OCLC:

1193557668