Luxury and power: the material world of the stuart diplomat, 1660-1714

A study of the material world of English ambassadors at the end of the seventeenth century, illustrating the way in which architecture and the arts playedan important role in diplomatic life. Luxury and Power is an important contribution to the cultural history of Baroque England. Luxury and Power examines the material world of English ambassadors at the end of the seventeenth century, and illustrates the way in which architecture and the arts played an important role in diplomatic life. It positions luxury consumption firmly in the political domain and demonstrates the significance of diplomats as cultural intermediaries, highlighting the importance of the material world to politicians andthe role that diplomats played in the evolution of artisticappreciation in England.Split into two parts, the first half covers the life of diplomats abroad: where they lived, what they took with them, and the style in which they lived when away from home. It investigates the ambassadorial household and the role of wives in embassy life, and positions women at the centre of the diplomatic world. Within the wider context of artistic patronage, not just fine art, Helen Jacobsen assesses their impact as conduits for the arts, examining their own collecting and the acquisitionsthey made for their friends and patrons back home.Through case studies, part two examines how cultural politics drove the luxury consumption in which so many diplomats indulged. Such expenditure was not random, but was informed by diplomatic activity and was affected by the evolution in European diplomacy during these years. Importantly, it reveals that far from being the magpies satirised by eighteenth-century commentators, many of these patrons displayed a knowledge and understanding of many areas of artistic endeavour that made themindubitable connoisseurs of architecture, painting, furniture, textiles, silver, and coaches. Helen Jacobsen re-evaluates the reputation for artistic patronage of the later Stuart years and finds that the contribution by English diplomats has been sorely neglected. INDICE: Introduction Part I: Diplomats Overseas Equipping the Royal Representative Establishing the Embassy Abroad Collecting and Connoisseurship Procurement and Display Part II: Strategies of Distinction Patronage, Networks, and the Arts: The Earl of Arlington, 1618-1685 Informed Choices: Ralph Montagu, 1638-1709 Venetian Influences: The Earl of Manchester, 1662-1722 The Connoisseurial Advisor: Matthew Prior, 1664-1721 Ubiquitous display: The Earl of Strafford, 1672-1739 Conclusion Bibliography

• ISBN: 978-0-19-969375-7
• Editorial: Oxford University
• Encuadernacion: Cartoné
• Páginas: 304
• Fecha Publicación: 03/11/2011
• Nº Volúmenes: 1
• Idioma: Inglés