- 256 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
About this book
What do Persian robes of honour, 20th-century still-life painting, fur garments, and 18th-century porcelain all have in common? Prized, possessed and modelled, they highlight the deep connections we share with cultural objects. Establishing new connections between people and things via artistic media and material culture, this highly interdisciplinary volume brings together both established and emerging scholars in the fields of art history, material culture, museum and heritage studies and literary studies to investigate the intersection of the personal with the material. Raising vital questions of cultural identity, belonging and selfhood, Material Selves is the first book of its kind to consider the relationship between people and things across transcultural and transhistorical contexts. It employs innovative methodologies across ten chapters and critically expands on current models for understanding the dynamic relationship between people and things by tracing the central role objects have played in the construction, creation and performance of identity throughout history. Structured around four key sections exploring biography and narrative; adornment and ornament; reclamation and intervention; and subjects and objects, the volume presents a global selection of case studies that explore, amongst other things, Margaret Olley's enduring fame, the significance of the Khil'a in Safavid Persia and early modern Europe, and 17th-century French painter Charles LeBrun's royal portraiture. Fusing these with contemporary theories of identity, the contributors provide analyses informed by posthumanism, the environmental humanities, race and gender. At the same time, they confront vital questions of identity, agency, and materiality, and highlight the way in which we use objects to tell stories, construct myths and make sense of our place in the world. In doing so, the book illuminates a wide range of cultural and chronological settings whilst giving close attention to the mobility of people and things between, across, and through time and place.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Halftitle page
- MATERIAL CULTURE OF ART AND DESIGN
- Volumes in the Series
- Title page
- Copyright page
- CONTENTS
- ILLUSTRATIONS
- NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS
- Introduction
- PART ONE Biography and Narrative
- 1 The Entangled Lives of Still Life: Margaret Olley, Art, Objects, and Display
- 2 Self-Extension: Material Agency, Intimacy, and Chance in Sophie Calle’s Object Relationships
- PART TWO Adornment and Ornament
- 3 Refashioning the khila’ in Safavid Persia and Early Modern Europe*
- 4 Materiality, Self, and Portraiture: Charles Lebrun’s Boîte à Portrait of Louis XIV
- 5 ‘Furland’: Global Fur and Empires of Fashion Materialities in 1930s London
- PART THREE Reclamation and Intervention
- 6 Upcycling Chaney: The Colonial Detritus of St Croix
- 7 Chairman Mao’s Good Soldier: Red Collecting, Lei Feng, and Revolutionary Selfhood in Contemporary China
- 8 A Female Embodiment: Gendered Materiality in Chinese Contemporary Art Practices
- PART FOUR Subjects and Objects
- 9 Framing the Self in Early Modern Curatorial Strategies of Porcelain Display
- 10 Furnishing Legal Lives
- INDEX