Connoisseur

For other uses, seeConnoisseur (disambiguation).

"Testing the Wine",English School, 19th century.

Aconnoisseur(Frenchtraditional,pre-1835, spelling ofconnaisseur,from Middle-Frenchconnoistre,thenconnaîtremeaning 'to be acquainted with' or 'to know somebody/something') is a person who has a great deal ofknowledgeabout thefine arts;who is a keen appreciator ofcuisines,fine wines, and othergourmetproducts; or who is an expert judge in matters oftaste.In many areas, the term now has an air of pretension, and may be used in a partlyironicsense. In theart trade,however, expert connoisseurship remains a crucial skill for the identification and attribution to individual artists of works by thestyleand technique, where documentary evidence ofprovenanceis lacking. The situation in thewine tradeis similar, for example in assessing the potential for ageing in a young wine throughwine tasting.

Connoisseurship in art

"The ability to tell almost instinctively who painted a picture is defined... as connoisseurship".Connoisseurs evaluate works ofarton the basis of their experience of thestyleand technique of artists. Judgment informed byintuitionis essential, but it must be grounded in a thorough understanding of the work itself. On the basis ofempirical evidence,refinement ofperceptionabouttechniqueandform,and a disciplined method of analysis, the responsibility of the connoisseur is toattributeauthorship,validateauthenticityand appraise quality. These findings are crucial for thevaluation of works,and can be collected and organized into acatalogue raisonnéof the work of a singleartistor aschool.

In hisMeaning in the Visual Arts(1955),Erwin Panofskyexplains the difference between a connoisseur and anart historian:"The connoisseur might be defined as alaconicart historian, and the art historian as a loquacious connoisseur. "

The English dealer and art historian,Philip Mouldsays, "it is about noticing things which have specific characteristics of the artists involved, as opposed to general characteristics of the era".He points out the importance of condition and understanding what the artist originally painted (as opposed to how the painting now looks).His colleague,Bendor Grosvenortakes the view that connoisseurship is learned by looking at paintings and cannot be taught in the classroom. He believes that it has become unfashionable in the world of art history and as a result, activities such as producing a catalogue raisonné are undervalued by the art history establishment.Svetlana Alpersconfirms the art historians reservations that the identification of individual style in works is "essentially assigned to a group of specialists in the field known as conoisseurs".Nonetheless,Christie'sEducation offers an MA in the History of Art and the Art Market that includes a seminar on connoisseurship.This covers "the critical skills needed to look at art, write about art, research and evaluate works, including handling and viewing art objects and visiting artists' studios, conservation labs and museums."

Earlier views of connoisseurship

During the 18th century, the term was often used as a synonym for a still vaguer man of taste or a pretendcritic.

In 1760,Oliver Goldsmithsaid, "Paintingis and has been and now will someday become the sole object of fashionable care; the title of connoisseur in that art is at present the safest passport into every fashionable Society; a well timed shrug, an admiring attitude and one or two exotic tones of exclamation are sufficient qualifications for men of low circumstances to curry favour. "

In 1890,Giovanni Morelliwrote, "art connoisseurs say of art historians that they write about what they do not understand; art historians, on their side, disparage the connoisseurs, and only look upon them as the drudges who collect materials for them, but who personally have not the slightest knowledge of the physiology of art."

The attributions of painted pottery were an important project to the History of Ancient Art and Classical Archeology (Ancient Greece and South Italy). Two specialists were the most important authorities in archaeological connoisseurship:John Davidson Beazley(1885–1970) andArthur Dale Trendall(1909–1995).

Connoisseurs in other fields

Connoisseur is also used in the context ofgastronomy,i.e. in connection with finefood,beer,wine,coffee,teaand many other products whose consumption can be pleasing to the senses.

See also

• Amateur,dilettante
• Appraiser
• Collector
• Expert
• Fan,aficionado, enthusiast
• Gourmet,gourmand
• Sommelier

Further reading

• Beck, James H.,From Duccio to Raphael: Connoisseurship in Crisis(Fucecchio: European Press Academic Publishing, 2006).
• Friedländer, Max J.,On Art and Connoisseurship,trans. Tancred Borenius (London: B. Cassierer, 1942).
• L'art du connaisseur = The art of connoisseurship(Montréal: Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, 1978).
• Robinson, Terry F.,"Eighteenth-Century Connoisseurship and the Female Body"Oxford Handbooks Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 10 May 2017.
• Scallen, Catherine B.Rembrandt, Reputation, and the Practice of Connoisseurship(Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2004).
• Trummers, Anna, and Koenraad Jonckheere, eds.,Art market and connoisseurship: a closer look at paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens and their contemporaries(Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2008).