Fig.1. Conference poster.
The VICARTE research unit (Glass and Ceramic for the Arts and Parques de Sintra – Monte da Lua) have announced an international conference Collecting through Connections: Glass and Stained-glass Collectors and their Networks in the 19th Century, which will be held in Lisbon 4–6 February of 2015 [Fig. 1]. Abstracts focusing on 19th-century collecting practices for glass and stained glass are invited. Selected papers will be published before the conference.
The aim of the conference is to develop knowledge about the art market for historical glass and stained glass during the 19th century; the contacts and network of collectors; the criteria for collecting; and the use and display of the objects within the collector’s domestic space. Abstracts that answer one (or more) of the following questions are welcome.
• Why collect? Papers may address cultural, social, political and even economic themes relating to the collecting of glass in the 19th century.
• Who gathers? Papers should focus on collectors and their personal relationships. Social backgrounds, cultural interests, family contacts (correspondence), and the foundation of historical associations are some of the issues to be discussed.
• Where to buy? Papers may focus on the identification of dealers and agents, as well as on the supply chain for historical glass.
• Which provenance? Papers may address techniques and methods to identify the original provenance of objects, from chemical analysis to archival research.
• What to assemble? Diversity is common to most of 19th-century collections of glass and stained glass, but what exactly are the criteria for the acquisition of objects? What are collectors’ preferences? Case studies are particularly welcomed.
• How to display? Papers should explore and focus on the ideas behind the display of collections.
250-word abstracts should be submitted with a short CV before 23 December 2013 to submission.ctc@campus.fct.unl.pt. For more details or enquiries, please visit the website, or email registration.ctc@campus.fct.un.
