ABSTRACT

The book now moves on to explore the impacts of different and shifting contexts on the meanings attributed to objects. It includes examinations of different historical, political and domestic contexts, as well as reflection on the cultural-biographical approach to objects and their meanings. Following on from Witcomb’s contribution at the end of Part I, chapters in the second part of the book address such questions as: how does a detailed awareness of historical and political contexts facilitate our understanding of a painting and its constitutive elements, and of its artist, too? What can transformations in domestic material culture over time tell us about social change? How does a cultural-biographical approach illuminate the changing meanings of particular forms? How do shifting politico-historical contexts and discourses affect the terminologies and values applied to certain artefacts and landscapes? What are the implications of these and other questions for contemporary interpretations of objects?