Art Market Monitor

Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis

  • AMMpro
  • AMM Fantasy Collecting Game
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us

Where Connoisseurship Comes From

January 7, 2016 by Marion Maneker

04

This post on The New Republic republished from elsewhere discusses are forgery but includes a pocket background on the history of connoisseurship:

The practice of connoisseurship originates with an Italian physician named Giovanni Morelli, who began publishing essays in German in the 1870s under a Russian name, Ivan Lemorlieff, proposing intuition-based connoisseurship.

Earlier methods had emphasized looking at iconography (study of the meaning of images). Instead, Morelli proposed a system that gave budding connoisseurs a rational, scientific way to make attributions. Focusing on overlooked details like the rendering of ears and hands, the technique placed great reliance on the expert’s capacity to read minute clues in order to extrapolate larger meanings.

His technique of observing neglected features would influence Sigmund Freud as he developed a methodology for interpreting dreams, along with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, a detective who solved crimes by looking for clues—like the unique shape of each human ear.

Update: To this Bendor Grosvenor responds on Twitter:

 

Oh no it doesn’t. People have been debating who painted what for centuries. Eg, Charles I asked Van Dyck re Titian. https://t.co/2rGoqlFaWz

— Dr Bendor Grosvenor (@arthistorynews) January 7, 2016

The Secret to All Great Art Forgeries  (New Republic)

More from Art Market Monitor

  • Wallpaper on The High LineWallpaper on The High Line
  • Brett Gorvy Leaving Christie’s to Partner with Dominique LévyBrett Gorvy Leaving Christie’s to Partner with Dominique Lévy
  • ArtPrize Declares WinnerArtPrize Declares Winner
  • Cautious Photo Dealers Keep One Eye on Wall St.Cautious Photo Dealers Keep One Eye on Wall St.
  • What Does the Art Market Look Like in 2010?What Does the Art Market Look Like in 2010?
  • Ruscha, Record-Breaking Wong Top Christie’s $36.5 M. Contemporary Day SaleRuscha, Record-Breaking Wong Top Christie’s $36.5 M. Contemporary Day Sale

Filed Under: General

About Marion Maneker

LiveArt

Want to get Art Market Monitor‘s posts sent to you in our email? Sign up below by clicking on the Subscribe button.

  • About Us/ Contact
  • Podcast
  • AMMpro
  • Newsletter
  • FAQ

twitterfacebooksoundcloud
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
California Privacy Rights
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Advertise on Art Market Monitor
 

Loading Comments...