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Collecting, exchange, and sociability in the Renaissance studiolo

This study examines the various ways objects in Renaissance collections circulated, connecting individuals in diverse ways, and giving rise to a particular space dedicated to collecting—the studiolo. It steers away from the common approach in collecting studies, which tends to view collectables as static objects or simply the reflection of a patron’s taste. Much of the literature on collecting has categorised this activity as a male pursuit, but this study reveals that women could be prominent collectors and their political roles were often manifested in the things they collected.

The study draws on research conducted in the archives in Modena, Milan, and Florence, which was funded by the Canadian government (CGS Doctoral Scholarship, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) ($105,000 over three years)) and the Italian government (Italian Embassy Long Term Scholarship, 9-month Research Stipend in Italy (6300 Euros)). Material from the article has been delivered at international conferences, and the innovative approach to collecting has generated interest in the session the author is chairing at the Association of Art Historians in 2014 “New Approaches to Collecting (1400-1600).”

This article identifies how a particular culture emerged around the studiolo and highlights the controversial nature of the studiolo itself, a space both private and public, meant both for

contemplation and sociability. The article brings together archival findings with theoretical approaches to objects from anthropology and the social sciences. It highlights the manifold ways objects interact with people and with other objects, contributing to a strand of Renaissance court literature, which understands the court as an intersecting network of social interaction, constituted by people and things, rather than a structuralist centre focused around the prince.