The Matter of Art - (Studies in Design and Material Culture) (Hardcover)

About the Book

Drawing on research and models from anthropology, material culture and art history, this study explores topics as diverse as Inka stonework, cork platforms for shoes and the Christian Eucharist.

Book Synopsis

Materials carried the meaning of early modern art. Transformed and crafted from the matter of nature, art objects were the physical embodiment of both the inherent qualities of materials and the forces of culture that used, refined and produced them. The study of materials offers a new approach to this important period in the history of art, science and culture, linking the close study of painting, sculpture and architecture to much wider categories of the everyday and the exotic. Drawing on new research and models from anthropology, material culture and the history of art, scholars in The matter of art explore topics as diverse as Inka stonework, gold in panel painting, cork platforms for shoes, and the Christian Eucharist.

From the Back Cover

Wood or stone, wax or silk - materials shaped the meaning of early modern art. Transformed and crafted from the matter of nature, art objects were the physical embodiment of both the inherent qualities of materials and the forces of culture that used and produced them. The making and marketing of art depended upon the manipulation of both exotic and everyday materials; and interest in materials and objects reached a peak in the years between 1250 and 1750, spurred on by expanding networks of global trade, nation-building, and scientific exploration.

Drawing on new research and models from anthropology, material culture, and the history of art and science, the essays in The Matter of Art explore topics as diverse as Inka stonework, gold in panel painting, Chinese inkstones, and European wax sculpture. Going beyond technical analyses, each chapter interprets materials in the light of artistic practices and the cultural contexts that shaped objects.

The study of materials cuts across the usual geographical and disciplinary boundaries in this important period in the history of art, science, and culture, linking the close study of painting, sculpture and architecture with a much wider category of everyday and exotic objects. At stake is not only a new understanding of early modernity, but also the implications of our contemporary 'material turn.'

Students of art and architecture will find essays by leading scholars in European, Asian and Pre-Columbian art. The book will appeal to general readers with an interest in craft and the history of objects as well as to historians interested in a global history of the early modern period and its patterns of trade.

Review Quotes

'...shows the reader that engagement with the particularities of medium can lead to the richest of interpretations.'
Renaissance Quarterly

About the Author

Christy Anderson is Associate Professor of the History of Art at the University of Toronto

Anne Dunlop is Associate Professor of Art History at Tulane University in New Orleans

Pamela H. Smith is Seth Low Professor of History, Columbia University in the City of New York