Collecting has its roots in the Ancient Era, when it was initially closely related to the preparation for the afterlife. Ptolemy Alexandria was the center of education, and Mouseion, the famous library, housed the largest collection of papyrus scrolls of the ancient world. The ancient Roman world admired the monuments of Greek sculpture and following the example of the Library of Alexandria Romans wanted to gather the knowledge of the world. Medieval sovereigns surrounded themselves with collections of the relics of the saints and, in its late phase, with more refined forms, such as illuminated manuscripts. At the end of the 15th and especially during the 16th century, wealthy patrician families in Italy - Medici, Gonzaga, Farnese, Borghese and others began to systematically build art cabinets and galleries. Very soon the Habsburgs joined them. While the collections of paintings were tied to family and artistic patronage rather than to the market and systematic purchases, the concept of all knowledge of the world was re-opened in the Renaissance, allowing the development of cabinets of curiosities (camera delle meraviglie, gabinetto delle curiosit?, Wunderkammer, Kunstkammern) - concept of the macrocosm in microcosm. Thus, more or less systematically, artworks and artifacts - to which their owner often had a personal relationship - were accumulated side by side in a single gallery. The early modern era and especially the 17th century are in many aspects a period of initiation. On the foundations of the two centuries of the Renaissance, not only collecting but also a large number of scientific disciplines are developing. Art is commercialized, and throughout the 17th century, large collections of Italian traditional families are sold out. Art becomes the subject of financial speculation - a true art market is being born. The lecture will introduce the most important collectors of the 17th century, the finest collections and the principles of the early modern art market.
Basic orientation in the 17th century collecting. Understanding the specifics of the 17th century and their influence on the development of the concept of collection and collecting.
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