CFP Apr 27, 2009

Old Collectables in a Modern World (Ghent, ESSHC, 13-16 Apr 10)

Dries Lyna

Apr 10)

Call for Papers

Session: Old Collectables in a Modern World.
The Consumption and Circulation of Art and Antiques in European
Cities, ca. 1750 - ca. 1914

European Social Science History Conference
13-16 April 2010
Ghent, Belgium at the Bijloke Site

From at least the middle of the eighteenth century onwards,
European citizens showed an altering attitude towards old and used
objects. The dawn of the much-discussed consumer and industrial
'revolutions' gave way to a material culture dominated by
convenience, hygiene and fashion. Age-old consumer practices
centered on second-hand circulations and the re-use of family/
household possessions began to wane in favor of a continual renewal
of the urban home. The rise of this modern 'neophiliac' behavior is
more or less known - tied to well studied processes such as
industrialization, urbanization, changes in population growth and
transport. Colin Campbell in particular linked these emerging
attitudes to a nascent 'romantic' culture. Symptomatic of elusive
feelings of loss and incompleteness, an uninterrupted 'hedonistic'
consumption of 'newness' and 'novelty' provided a sort of
existential satisfaction; materialism became a new way of life.

Ironically, the present consumption debate has largely ignored the
Janus-head of the new: namely a consumption desire for the 'old',
for traditions, an alliance with the past, a search for
authenticity. These values were as much part of a 'romantic-
sentimental' body of thought as a 'cry for the new'; and they were
even becoming more important in times of structural landslides in
the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Thus, it is no
coincidence that the second-hand markets in this period became
increasingly segmented. At the one hand, old and used belongings
became perceived as inferior, and, in general, harder to recycle
because of fashion changes, and the lighter, more breakable and
less durable nature of the product-market. However, in the growing
mass of easily discarded household possessions, several product
categories were dealt with growing respect and passion. A
blossoming group of excited collectors and 'connoisseurs' sought
out second-hand books, art or period piece furniture precisely
because of its age and 'patina'. Catering for this new demand for
old collectables, a set of specialized commercial circuits arose.
Especially newly equipped auction rooms and professional antique
shops stood at the centre of this quickly developing antiquarian
culture.

This session seeks to explore the changing consumption and
distribution practices connected to the circulation of arts and
antiques in the course of the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries. The organizers welcome papers that address different
aspects of the creation of a specific antiquarian consumer
culture. New theoretical or empirical research on qualitative
and/or quantitative datasets is recommended, using a
methodological framework from economical, sociological,
anthropological, cultural and/or historical studies. This
session aims to introduce new research and approaches to a
broader audience. We welcome papers on topics as diverse as:

- The rise of a specialized art & antiquarian market, both via
public auctions, antique shops and through specific fairs and
markets.
- The geography of selling antiques, both macro (intercity
relations) and micro (intra)
- The professionalization of related occupations (auctioneers,
antiquarians, experts,...)
- The nature of the buying public (social-economic background,
motivations, ...)
- The lay-out of professional and private networks in antique
dealing and buying
- The perception of the collectables for sale (books, art,
furniture, shells, stamps, ...)
- The role of commercial prints (advertisements, auction
catalogues, ...)
- The development of a wider antiquarian culture in
literature, salons, ...)

Organisers: Ilja Van Damme, University of Antwerp
(ilya.vandammeua.ac.be) and Dries Lyna, University of Antwerp
(dries.lynaua.ac.be).

If you want to propose a paper for this session, please contact
the organizers to check whether your paper would fit in this session.
Please submit your paper proposal via the conference website
(http://www2.iisg.nl/esshc/register.asp) before the deadline of
1 May 2009.

Reference:
CFP: Old Collectables in a Modern World (Ghent, ESSHC, 13-16 Apr 10). In: ArtHist.net, Apr 27, 2009 (accessed Jul 19, 2025), <https://arthist.net/archive/31460>.

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