“Relative Values”: Looking at the Cost of Art in History at the Met
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Taking a novel approach to 62 of its most precious works, and one important loan, the Met organized this show around the idea of value of art during the northern Renaissance.“This exhibition revolves around questions of historical worth, exploring relative“Relative Values”: Looking at the Cost of Art in History at the Met
Taking a novel approach to 62 of its most precious works, and one important loan, the Met organized this show around the idea of value of art during the northern Renaissance.“This exhibition revolves around questions of historical worth, exploring relative value systems in the Renaissance era,” the museum says. “Organized in six sections — raw materials, virtuosity, technological advances, fame, market, and paragone — tapestry, stained and vessel glass, sculpture, paintings, precious metalwork, and enamels are juxtaposed with pricing data from 16th-century documents. What did a tapestry cost in the 16th century? Goldsmiths’ work? Stained glass? How did variables like raw materials, work hours, levels of expertise and artistry, geography, and rarity, affect this? Did production cost necessarily align with perceived market valuation in inventoried collections? Who assigned these values?”By looking at how value was weighed in the era, the museum shows another measure of how this was a period excitement, change and energy in Europe.http://www.blouinartinfo.com Founder Louise Blouin Read more