Exhibition | Dancing with Death
From the Blanton:
Dancing with Death
Blanton Museum of Art, the University of Texas at Austin, 2 September — 26 November 2017
Organized by Elizabeth Welch
John Bell, Reclining Male Cadaver, from Anatomy of the Bones, Muscles, and Joints, by John Bell, 1794, engraving and etching (Austin: Blanton Museum of Art, The Karen G. and Dr. Elgin W. Ware, Jr. Collection, 2000.4).
By the year 1500, a new genre of visual and literary culture was thriving in Europe: the dance of death or danse macabre. Dancing with Death will feature works on paper spanning from the fifteenth to the twentieth centuries that highlight this visual tradition of bringing death to life. By animating death and transforming a state of being into a character, Europeans both poked fun of and meditated on mortality. This exhibition highlights both sides of the macabre coin: fear of death and fun in life.
Organized by Elizabeth Welch, Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Fellow in Prints, Drawings, and European Paintings, Blanton Museum of Art
Call for Articles | Gardens and Melancholia
From H-ArtHist:
Cultural History of Europe, Issue: Garden and Melancholy in Europe
Proposals due by 15 December 2017, with finished articles due 30 April 2018
The research group ERLIS (EA 4254, University of Caen) is preparing a collective work on the theme “Garden and melancholy in Europe between the eighteenth century and the contemporary era.” The publication will take the form of a special issue of the electronic journal Cultural History of Europe, scheduled for autumn 2018.
Garden of heaven or garden of tortures, hortus conclusus or locus amoenus, utopia or idyll, mirror of society or antithesis, place of memory or place of oblivion, living place cultivated by humans, as work in progress without end or as relic, forgotten and abandoned, but alive nevertheless—the microcosm of the garden is not just the dream space par excellence, but often also a space of melancholy. In its many facets, the garden always reflects its creator. As such, the garden as research subject highlights essential aspects of the history of consciences.
Whether a work set in reality, or a representation in a creative piece, text, image, music—the garden exerts a universal fascination, for landscape architects as well as literary figures, poets, filmmakers, graphic artists, painters, philosophers and musicians. This fascination has recently undergone a renewal that goes hand in hand with an increasingly acute awareness of the climate crisis and gives new verve to both garden practices and theoretical reflection. We are witnessing a real craze, a sign of fundamental changes in society. The garden has now become a space of resistance against excessive liberalism and even, more generally, the loss of humanity.
Who says resistance, says melancholy. The garden, as ‘heterotopia’ seems in essence the place ‘where melancholy sleeps’ (Apollinaire). One can consider it in its therapeutic aim: to walk, to contemplate it soothes and releases the soul, and to take care of it means to exercise a fundamental and ‘universal’ human and social activity. Since the Enlightenment, the garden has become an element of social and sanitary policy. Medicine and psychiatry use it for therapeutic purposes. Or it can be given a place in a work of art. Here too, its role is intimately linked to melancholy: it can act as a drug, as a remedy, it can be the place of reflection, of distance from reality, it can highlight the link between beauty or death, or simply seduce by the response that its eloquent silence offers to the violence of the human world. It is always the space in which one lives at once freely its melancholy and one in which one can free oneself from it, even cure it, in which pathological melancholy can be transformed into ‘soft melancholy’, the one wherein melancholy becomes creative. The garden can even arouse the desire for metamorphosis, the desire to become a plant, for the plant becomes perceptible as the image, even the model of the force that does not aspire to power. Herein lie some thoughts around the garden and melancholy.
The special issue seeks to illuminate from various angles the link between the garden and melancholy. The goal is to gather articles from the various European linguistic fields in the following disciplines: literature, sociology, psychology, history of art and architecture, history of medicine, geography, philosophy, media sciences, visual arts and music.
The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2018. Submissions for the special issue may relate to any European cultural areas, but must be written in French, German, English, Italian or Spanish. The electronic magazine Cultural History of Europe publishes only original articles, which are evaluated through double-blind peer review. Members of both the scientific committee and the journal’s review committee will be invited to serve as reviewers. To insure anonymity during the review process, the articles themselves should not contain information that reveals the identity of the author. A cover page should be attached indicating the name, title and home institution of the author. Proposals must include a summary in French of approximately 200 words. Articles must be between 30,000 and 60,000 characters, including spaces and notes. The evaluation committee’s decision will be rendered within two months of the deadline.
The proposals for contributions (consisting of a title and abstract of about 15 lines), accompanied by a short CV, should be sent by 15 December 2017 to:
• Hildegard Haberl, hildegard.haberl@unicaen.fr
• Annette Lensing, annette.lensing@unicaen.fr
• Corona Schmiele, corona.schmiele@gmail.com
In Memoriam | Linda Nochlin (1931–2017)
From ARTnews:
Andrew Russeth, “Linda Nochlin, Trailblazing Feminist Art Historian, Dies at 86,” ARTnews (29 October 2017).
Linda Nochlin, the perspicacious art historian who brought feminist thought to bear on the study, teaching, and exhibition of art, reshaping her field, has died, according to people close to her family. She was 86.
In 1971, Nochlin earned widespread attention for her landmark essay “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?,” which approached that question with incisive and nuanced analysis, demonstrating how, for centuries, institutional and societal structures had made it “impossible for women to achieve artistic excellence, or success, on the same footing as men, no matter what the potency of their so-called talent, or genius.” But Nochlin also interrogated how “greatness” itself had long been formulated and evaluated. “In the field of art history, the white Western male viewpoint, unconsciously accepted as the viewpoint of the art historian, may—and does—prove to be inadequate not merely on moral and ethical grounds, or because it is elitist, but on purely intellectual ones,” she wrote in the essay, which was published in ARTnews.
That article quickly became a cornerstone for the developing field of feminist art history. It would have been enough to secure her place as one of art history’s most important writers, but over the course of her six-decade career, she also made formidable contributions to the study of Realism and Gustav Courbet, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, and numerous contemporary artists. . . .
The full obituary is available here»
New Ashmolean Gallery: The Story of the World’s First Public Museum
From the press release (3 October 2017) . . .
New Ashmolean Gallery: The Story of the World’s First Public Museum
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, open from 3 October 2017
The world’s first public museum, the Ashmolean in Oxford, is celebrating a new permanent gallery called the ‘Ashmolean Story’, which opened earlier this month. The gallery marks the 400th anniversary of the birth of the museum’s founder, Elias Ashmole (1617–1692) who gave his collection to the University of Oxford in 1677 and founded the Ashmolean in 1683. On display are many of the original artefacts, specimens, and curiosities that fascinated museum visitors of the seventeenth century.
Elias Ashmole was a leading intellectual of his day who studied at Oxford and was elected a founding Fellow of the Royal Society in London in 1661. A true Enlightenment polymath, he was interested in everything from natural history, medicine and mathematics, to alchemy, astrology, and magic—all popular disciplines in the seventeenth century. In founding a new public museum Ashmole’s vision was to create a centre for practical research and the advancement of knowledge of the natural world which, in his own words, “is very necessary to humaine Life, health, & the conveniences thereof.” He recommended that the Keeper (head) of the museum should be Oxford’s Professor of Chemistry, and the first incumbent was Dr Robert Plot, a noted scientist and naturalist.
Evoking the style and atmosphere of the original museum, the new gallery displays objects related to scientific enquiry and the quest for knowledge that would have captivated visitors in 1680s Oxford. These include a crystal ball probably used by Ashmole for ‘crystal-gazing’ and making predictions; medical equipment and samples like kidney stones, apothecary jars and powders; and an array of natural history specimens of exotic animals, fish, and birds. One such specimen that clearly confused Plot was a “Gigantick thigh-bone.” He recognized that it was a real bone but could not identify the species due to its enormous size and concluded that it must have been the remains of a giant man or woman. Now known to be part of a femur of a large meat-eating dinosaur, Plot’s illustration was nonetheless the first publication of a dinosaur bone. Plot’s tenure at the Ashmolean came to end in 1689/90 when he resigned both his university posts citing an insufficient salary.
Ashmole’s gift to the University included his own extensive collection of books, manuscripts, coins, medals, and other antiquities. It also included the celebrated Tradescant family collection of ‘Rarities’ that had been gifted to Ashmole by John Tradescant the younger. In 1683 Ashmole transferred everything to Oxford from London, sending it by barge in twenty-six large chests. Ashmole specified that the new museum should be housed in a building designed to promote scientific practice. In the original Ashmolean in Broad Street, Oxford, there was a repository for the collections on the first floor; a lecture theatre for natural history on the ground floor; and in the basement was a state-of-the-art chemical laboratory and anatomy room. He also provided statutes of governance to guide the museum in achieving its aims, and this original handwritten document is on display in the new gallery. The eighteen statutes include the establishment of a board of governors, an annual inspection and audit, and the cataloguing of all objects that came into the collection. They also established procedures for the care and security of objects, the admission of visitors and museum finances—a model for modern museums and galleries the world over.
While the collections have grown and shifted focus to art and archaeology, the purpose of the Ashmolean is little changed today. The museum’s main aim remains the preservation and display of the collections for enjoyment and the advancement of knowledge. The development of the new gallery has allowed the re-display of important pieces such as Guy Fawkes’ lantern—a favourite of museum visitors. It has also created space to bring out of storage works such as Ashmole’s portrait collection of scholars and scientists which includes the famous painting of Elizabethan astrologer and mathematician, John Dee.
The gallery development has also provided staff the opportunity to research and conserve objects from the founding collection. One of the most significant pieces that has been re-displayed is Powhatan’s Mantle. Made of four white-tailed deer hides sewn together and decorated with shells, this huge and fragile object is traditionally linked to Powhatan, the father of Pocahontas and chief of the Indigenous North American Powhatan people who lived in Virginia, the area settled by the English in the 1600s. The museum’s conservation team has investigated the mantle with the help of the Factum Arte Foundation using specialized photography and imaging. Archival research into the mantle indicates that it was probably displayed vertically on the wall from the seventeenth century. The loss of shells around the lower border suggests that people were able to touch it and may have taken shells as souvenirs of their visit.
Today, the mantle has proved equally popular. The Ashmolean’s 2017 annual appeal has asked members of the public to support a new high-tech display case for the iconic object. Donors to the appeal have been offered the chance to have their name or a dedication inscribed on the case and more than 200 people have made donations totalling nearly £52,000. Miss Laura Wilson who made a dedication for her grandmother, says: “As soon as I saw the Ashmolean Birthday Appeal for the preservation of Powhatan’s Mantle, I knew I had to donate. When I was a little girl, my grandmother, Margaret Pinsent, would often take me to the museum to explore and we would always look at the Mantle—we were in awe of its historical significance. A quarter of a century later and I am still enchanted by this marvelous object and indebted to my grandma for her investment in my education. I cannot wait to see the Mantle in the new gallery and to enjoy it for many years to come.” In addition to the public appeal, the new gallery has been made possible by a generous donation from Mr Stephen Stow, Fellow of the Ashmolean; a major grant from the Linbury Trust; and a £110,000 grant from the DCMS/Wolfson Galleries and Improvements Fund.
Dr Xa Sturgis, Director of the museum, says: “Thanks to the generosity of members of the public, institutional support and private donors, we have been able to mark Elias Ashmole’s 400th birthday with this new gallery. It is a celebration of Ashmole’s vision and of the role the Ashmolean has played in the development of museums and galleries in this country and across the world.”
John Glen MP, Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism, says: “The Ashmolean Museum’s new gallery will mark 400 years since the birth of its founder Elias Ashmole and government is proud to support this fantastic space with £110,000 from the DCMS/Wolfson Museums & Galleries Improvement Fund. The public support for this project shows how well- loved the museum is and I wish all at the Ashmolean well for this exciting new chapter in its illustrious history.”
Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation, says: “There seems to be an increased interest in the collectors and stories behind the UK’s great museums—and the Ashmolean has a fascinating story to tell. Ashmole’s vision of a place of curiosity which fuels a quest for knowledge is still being realised. We hope there will be many more little Laura Wilsons visiting with their grandmothers and enjoying the delights this new gallery has to offer. The Wolfson Foundation is a charity supporting and promoting excellence, and we are delighted to be funding this through the DCMS/Wolfson Fund—which sends a strong message about the importance of shared public and charitable funding of these great collections.”
Save the Date | HECAA Conference, November 2018
Art and Architecture in the Long Eighteenth Century: HECAA at 25
Southern Methodist University, 1–4 November 2018
Please save the date for the first-ever Historians of Eighteenth-Century Art & Architecture conference, to be held November 1–4, 2018, at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. The conference will present recent research on eighteenth-century visual culture, consider questions of historiography and pedagogy, and chart paths for the future of our field. Details and a CFP to follow! Questions or comments? Contact us at hecaa25@gmail.com.
Image: Francisca Efigenia Meléndez y Durazzo, Portrait of a a Seated Girl Holding Flowers, ca. 1795, tempera on ivory, 5 × 5 cm (Dallas: Meadows Museum, SMU, MM.08.01.20).
The Burlington Magazine, October 2017
The eighteenth century in The Burlington:
The Burlington Magazine 159 (October 2017)
A R T I C L E S
• Gauvin Alexander Bailey, “Rococo in Eighteenth-Century Beijing: Ornament Prints and the Design of the European Palaces at Yuanming Yuan,” pp. 778–88.
• J. P. Losty, “Eighteenth-Century Mughal Paintings from the Swinton Collection,” pp. 789–99.
R E V I E W S
• Rose Kerr, Review of John Ayers, Chinese and Japanese Works of Art in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen (Royal Collection Trust, 2016), pp. 822–23.
• Marjorie Trusted, Review of Alan Chong, ed., Christianity in Asia: Sacred Art and Visual Splendour (Asian Civilizations Museum, 2016), pp. 823–24.
• Milo Beach, Review of Terence McInerney, Divine Pleasures: Painting from India’s Rajput Courts: The Kronos Collections (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2016), pp. 824–25.
• Aida Yuen Wong, Review of Petra ten-Doesschate Chu and Ning Ding, eds., Qing Encounters: Artistic Exchanges Between China and the West (Getty Publications, 2015), p. 826.
• David Bindman, Review of Elizabeth Einberg, William Hogarth: A Complete Catalogue of the Paintings (The Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, 2016), pp. 827–29.
• Robert O’Byrne, Review of Mark Clark, The Dublin Civic Portrait Collection: Patronage, Politics, and Patriotism, 1603–2013 (Four Courts Press, 2016), p. 832.
• Charles Beddington, Review of the exhibition Eyewitness Views: Making History in Eighteenth-Century Europe (The Getty Center, Los Angeles, 2017; Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2017; and The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2018), pp. 856–58.
Call for Papers | Boston University Graduate Symposium — Excess
From H-ArtHist:
34th Annual Boston University Graduate Symposium
in the History of Art and Architecture — Excess
Boston University, 2–3 March 2018
Proposals due by 1 December 2017
Excess conjures the idea of the extractable, left over, too much, or ‘extra’. Looking closely at perceptions of the extraneous reveals excess to be a historically constructed category that marks shifting notions of cultural values. Deemed peripheral, abject, deviant, and tertiary due to factors such as geographic relationships or conceptions of power at a particular moment, excess is the focal point of the 34th Annual Boston University Graduate Symposium in the History of Art and Architecture.
We invite submissions that explore themes of excess. Topics may include but are not limited to the following: opulence; decoration; the grotesque; the carnivalesque; caricature; exuberance; indulgence; exaggeration; extremes of religious or social practice and ritual; extravagant lifestyle; expressions and critiques of abundance; so-called ‘luxury arts’; the overbuilt.
Papers must be original and previously unpublished. Please send an abstract (300 words or less), a paper title, and a CV to bugraduatesymposiumhaa@gmail.com. The deadline for submissions is 1 December 2017. Selected speakers will be notified by 23 December 2017 and are expected to accept or decline the offer within a week of notification. Papers should be 20 minutes in length and will be followed by a question and answer session.
The Symposium will be held Friday, 2 March – Saturday, 3 March 2018, with a keynote lecture (TBD) on Friday evening at the Boston University Art Gallery at the Stone Gallery and graduate presentations on Saturday at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
This event is generously sponsored by the Boston University Center for the Humanities; the Boston University Department of History of Art and Architecture; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Boston University Graduate Student History of Art and Architecture Association; and the Boston University Art Gallery at the Stone Gallery.
Journées d’Étude | Académies d’Art et Mondes Sociaux, 1740–1805
From the study day programme:
Académies d’Art et Mondes Sociaux, 1740–1805
Mobilité des artistes, dynamique des institutions : dessiner la cartographie des échanges
Université Toulouse – Jean Jaurès, 9–10 November 2017
En partenariat avec le Centre allemand d’histoire de l’art, Paris
Deuxième volet des journées d’étude conduites par le programme de recherche ACA-RES sur Les académies d’art et leurs réseaux dans la France préindustrielle, cette rencontre mettra l’accent sur la question des circulations artistiques. La seule aspiration parisienne ne saurait rendre compte des dynamiques d’échanges qui se mettent en place au cours de la seconde moitié du XVIIIe siècle, alors même que certaines institutions de province apparaissent comme centres et nœuds de liens multiples. Les provinces marquent souvent une autonomie vis-à-vis de la capitale. Une nouvelle cartographie demande ainsi à être repensée.
L’étude des relations entre les individus et les institutions académiques à l’échelle nationale et européenne, par le biais de voyages, séjours, correspondances épistolaires, sera au cœur des discussions pour voir si les mouvements dépendent des aléas des carrières (itinérance, migration, exil, fuite, opportunités de commandes ou de protections, etc.) Ces derniers peuvent tout autant répondre à un souhait d’implantation durable qu’à une stratégie de progression professionnelle. D’ailleurs la notion de « mobilité » peut aussi être entendue du point de vue de l’ascension sociale.
Pour les institutions, le voyage s’intègre-t-il avant toute chose dans une perspective de perfectionnement pédagogique et de formation du goût ? Quels bénéfices les déplacements d’artistes et d’amateurs, comme les affiliations institutionnelles, offrent-ils aux établissements artistiques, en termes d’élargissement de réseaux, d’enrichissement des collections et de rayonnement culturel ? Au-delà de la réalité des frontières et des proximités géographiques, à rebours d’une construction idéologique « nationaliste », quelles forces – culturelles, économiques, relationnelles – sont-elles à l’œuvre ?
Dans le prolongement des acquis de la précédente manifestation de décembre 2016 (voir sur la page Internet d’ACA-RES, dans la rubrique « Les Ressources », Actes des journées d’étude), mais en étendant la période envisagée au-delà des premières années de fondation des établissements, il s’agira d’envisager la mobilité des artistes – des peintres, des sculpteurs et des architectes autant que des ornemanistes voués à la fabrique – sans perdre de vue la lecture sociale et culturelle de ces institutions écloses au siècle des Lumières. Les villes aux portes des frontières du royaume, comme celles sensibles à l’appel du Grand Tour par leur position de carrefour des routes, seront étudiées en priorité.
Ces journées d’étude entendent privilégier le dialogue entre spécialistes et jeunes chercheurs, tout en gardant l’ouverture vers d’autres disciplines des sciences humaines, en particulier la sociologie et les humanités numériques. Le dispositif de la rencontre privilégiera les débats. Chaque intervenant présentera son étude de cas en fonction des thèmes retenus pour les demi-journées. Le temps de parole, volontairement très restreint, suffira à dégager les principaux points qui seront ensuite repris et discutés de façon collégiale au cours des tables-rondes. Les après-midis seront consacrés à des ateliers de travail participatifs.
J E U D I , 9 N O V E M B R E 2 0 1 7
9.00 Matin
Ouverture, Markus Castor (Centre allemand d’histoire de l’art, Paris)
Conférence introductive, Gaëtane Maës (Université Lille 3, IRHiS UMR 8529), De la nécessité de repenser les dynamiques de circulations artistiques et la notion de « modèle » parisien
I. Séance de travail : Voyages et correspondances d’académiciens
Conférences de 10mn par intervenant
• Ariane James-Sarrazin (Institut national d’histoire de l’art), La mobilité des responsables et des professeurs des écoles de dessin dans le Grand Ouest
• Émilie Roffidal (CNRS, FRAMESPA UMR 5136), Jean-Michel Verdiguier (1706–1796), une ambition espagnole
• Dominique d’Arnoult (Université de Lausanne), Jean-Baptiste Perronneau (v. 1715–1783), Académies et écoles de dessin, jalons de ses voyages en France et en Europe
• Gérard Fabre (Musée des Beaux-arts de Marseille), Jacques Beaufort (1721–1783), un académicien entre Marseille et Paris
• Candice Humbert (Université Grenoble Alpes, LARHRA UMR 519), Louis-Joseph Jay (1755–1836), de Montpellier à Grenoble, quels parcours pour quelles ambitions?
Table-ronde avec l’ensemble des intervenants et les organisateurs ; Pascal Julien (Université Toulouse – Jean Jaurès, Laboratoire FRAMESPA UMR 5136), modérateur.
12.00 Pause déjeuner
14.00 Après-midi
I. Atelier de travail : Comment documenter les déplacements ?
Chaque communicant parle 5min
Interviennent tous les participants qui présentent le matériel et les méthodes employés pour étudier les circulations : correspondances, registres, inventaires, vies d’artistes, discours, presse locale, mais aussi sources visuelles (portraits, estampes), etc.
Une collaboratrice d’ACA-RES, Clémentine Souchaud, présente les modalités de diffusion numérique des sources documentaires sur Nakalona.
V E N D R E D I , 1 0 N O V E M B R E 2 0 1 7
9.00 Matin
II. Séance de travail : Grands axes de circulations et logiques des flux
Conférences de 10mn par intervenant
• Gaëtane Maës (Université Lille 3, IRHiS UMR 8529), Le nord de la France, une attractivité entre Paris et Bruges ?
• Fabienne Sartre (Université Paul-Valéry-Montpellier 3) et Marjorie Guillin (Université Toulouse – Jean Jaurès, FRAMESPA UMR 5136), Toulouse, Montpellier et le réseau des académies languedociennes
• Lucas Berdu (Université Toulouse – Jean Jaurès), Le voyage d’Italie de quelques académiciens toulousains
• Nelly Vi-Tong (Université de Bourgogne, Centre Georges Chevrier, UMR 7366), Hors des frontières de la Bourgogne : opportunités et carrières des élèves de l’École de dessin de Dijon
• Anne Perrin Khelissa (Université Toulouse – Jean Jaurès, Laboratoire FRAMESPA UMR 5136), L’Italie, entre fantasmes et réalités à l’Académie de Lyon
Table-ronde avec l’ensemble des intervenants et les organisateurs ; Stéphanie Trouvé (Université Paul-Valéry-Montpellier 3), Projet de recherche LexArt, modératrice.
11.00 Pause brunch
13.00 Après-midi
II. Atelier de travail : Valorisation et visualisation des déplacements
Discussion libre
Deux stagiaires du programme ACA-RES, Florie Valton et Lucas Berdu, interviennent. Ils présentent la base de données et les résultats obtenus à l’issue de leur mission (cartes, graphiques, formalisation et interprétation).
Utilité, pertinence, limites et enjeux des outils numériques en histoire de l’art ? Tous les participants sont invités à réagir aux avancées et perspectives du programme, au regard de leurs propres recherches et expériences.
Conférence conclusive
Martine Azam (Université Toulouse – Jean Jaurès, LISST UMR 5193), Le point de vue du sociologue sur la notion de circulation
15.00 Fin des journées d’étude
Post-Doctoral Fellowships | The Library Company of Philadelphia
From The Library Company of Philadelphia:
NEH and PEAES Post-Doctoral Fellowships, 2018–19
The Library Company of Philadelphia
Applications due by 1 November 2017
National Endowment for the Humanities Post-Doctoral Fellowships support research in residence at the The Library Company of Philadelphia on any subject relevant to its collections, which are capable of supporting research in a variety of fields and disciplines relating to the history of America and the Atlantic world form the 17th through the 19th centuries. NEH Fellowships are for individuals who have completed their formal professional training. Consequently, degree candidates and individuals seeking support for work in pursuit of a degree are not eligible to hold NEH-supported fellowships. Advanced degree candidates must have completed all requirements, except for the actual conferral of the degree, by the application deadline, 1 November 2017. Foreign nationals are not eligible to apply unless they have lived in the United States for the three years immediately preceding the application deadline. NEH fellowships are tenable for four to nine months. The stipend is $4,200 per month.
Program in Early American Economy and Society Post-Doctoral Fellowships support research in the collections of the Library Company and other nearby institutions into the origins and development of the early American economy, broadly conceived, to roughly 1850. PEAES fellowships provide scholars the opportunity to investigate the history of commerce, finance, technology, manufacturing, agriculture, internal improvements, economic policy making and other topics. Applicants may be citizens of any country, and they must hold a Ph.D. by 1 September 2018. The stipend is $40,000 for the academic year, or if the award is divided between two scholars, $20,000 per semester.
Senior scholars are particularly encouraged to apply. The Library Company’s Cassatt House fellows’ residence offers rooms at reasonable rates, along with a kitchen, common room, and offices with internet access, available to resident and non-resident fellows at all hours. All post-doctoral fellowships are tenable from 1 September 2018 through 31 May 2019, and fellows must be in continuously in residence at the Library Company for the duration of their fellowships.
The deadline for receipt of applications is 1 November 2017 with a decision to be made by December 15. Make just one application; you will automatically be considered for all the fellowships for which you are eligible. To apply, go to the application page to fill out an online coversheet and upload a single portable document format (PDF) containing a brief résumé, a two- to four-page description of proposed research, and a writing sample of no more than 25 pages. In addition, two letters of recommendation should be submitted online in PDF format.
Candidates are strongly encouraged to inquire about the appropriateness of the proposed topic before applying. For more information about the NEH award, contact James Green via telephone (215) 546-3181 or email jgreen@librarycompany.org. For more information about the PEAES award, email Cathy Matson at cmatson@udel.edu.
Call for Papers | Art and Audience under the Spanish Crown
From H-ArtHist:
Wider Worlds: Art and Audience under the Spanish Crown
The Frick Collection, New York, 5 April 2018
Proposals due by 12 December 2017
The Frick Collection is pleased to invite submissions for Wider Worlds: Art and Audience under the Spanish Crown, a public symposium inspired by the special exhibition Zurbarán: Jacob and His Twelve Sons, Paintings from Auckland Castle (on view at The Frick from 31 January to 22 April 2018). Co-organized with the Meadows Museum, in Dallas, where the paintings are currently on view, this exhibition marks the first time that Francisco de Zurbarán’s set of thirteen monumental canvases depicting the family of the biblical prophet Jacob will be displayed in the Americas.
Zurbarán’s paintings were probably commissioned in the 1640s for a monastery in colonial Spanish Peru, where the popularity of this particular iconography drew on histories positing the indigenous inhabitants of the Americas as ‘lost descendants’ of the twelve tribes of Israel. The works traveled to England and, in 1756, entered the collection of the bishop Richard Trevor, an advocate for the rights of Jewish people. This history, as well as the apocryphal story of the paintings’ seizure by pirates, prompts us to think seriously about the afterlives of objects, anticipated versus accidental receptions, and art’s capacity for generating multivalent, sometimes competing, interpretations. For Jacob and His Twelve Sons, those interpretations range from justifying the enterprises of one colonial empire to serving as symbols of religious tolerance in another.
We welcome proposals for twenty-minute papers on the status of the art object and the circulation of objects and ideas in the early modern Hispanic world. Please send a CV and 250-word abstract by Tuesday, 12 December 2017, to academic@frick.org. Submissions from emerging scholars, including early career university and museum professionals and advanced doctoral students, are particularly encouraged. Possible lines of inquiry include:
• How artists, patrons, and audiences dealt with anxieties around distance, delay, and the conveyance of meaning in the diverse and multilingual early modern Hispanic world
• Re-signification and/or halted trajectories in the biographies of objects, especially in a global context
• The imaging of origin myths and master narratives
• How Iberia’s Jewish and Islamic pasts were interrogated and reinterpreted in Catholic image practices
• The issue of workshops, masters, and authorship and their relationship to global markets
• The global and material turns in art-historical scholarship
Wider Worlds: Art and Audience under the Spanish Crown is convened by Caitlin Henningsen (The Frick Collection) and Adam Jasienski (Southern Methodist University). Susan Grace Galassi (Senior Curator, The Frick Collection) will preside.
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