‘he Bd Grade Caer Cala Hrs fhe Mat W
ses cee en te ean fhe man ate a
Src nr eit wp hk
‘taped sedinepeedthc mara word on rica eae ee
1 pepe ae ho ow stenon te cay ee,
senior ei al wt ha cs
Peer Miler Sve Boe
Anger ond tea Li seo Chia, 1500-1800
‘eer Milerand Fane Las Ears
‘hese: Thala ond Hsgaply
Per Mile, Er
tt er te Mari
Peer ier ate
Cultural Histories of
the Material World
Edited by Peter N. Miller
“The Unhersy of Michigan Press
Ann Arior164 url ari of he Maer Wot
soi a Shae i tae,
nga nh ay oe an
‘nga Sua feos OA), a Lange ne Cag
‘et hey, ou eg i,“
‘on ne Seen Cnn Pit i Sct Se
‘Suan Ragan Ghamng Bey ds aga Unters
‘talon 0-08
icy ch rae ere Le ee igo pa
Gis hee alm nha Pre
Scag ane Corte Rn Raa Shed
-coln: University of Nebraska Press, 1996), 216. “
rauereeN,
Objects and History
Jag Ener
‘The pace of material culture in elation to the wring of Rita Nae
svat been Haught We know that Gon was» serous Grand Tours,
‘who ew his honored objects ar well athe net anise, probably
Father beter ey fe objects, most noely the Arch of Conta
Une, rade no his Dine and Fat! Ane when the arch got ere, the
Job Ieserved war a he emblem ofl that the book was elf aboue—a
Perfect and monvmenal summary of decline? Gibbon got his model
{otonly the specie dixcourse onthe arch a archetype af asic dec
dence, but even the tee in which he eould character i embod
‘ent of the al) rom gree prodecetor-Vana an Raphael hmslt>
Buche wansated ther use of te emblem (2s paradigm ofc dec
exe in heres fom asic yer mature in ate ails)
‘oan sora age ate eptome of detine that was much grander
In concep han jst inthe wala (though, of course he ees use
by Gibbon war proof tat this decine incudd the ats 10). Gibbon
Doueithed the meres ofthe Are of Constantine as emblem forthe
twos of the world o umerouratczamore~of whom Berard Berenson
{edhe most inereing. Written in 199), werk nly published in Kal
fan in 1952 and in Engh in 1954, Berenson exonations ofthe Arch
‘of Constantin a exemplar of ll thing in chant colase tea Tike &
‘ant thar entirely oa of contra fone zest in rela to de mon
‘ent; they can only be underwood ara commentary on iso doe aod
Context saw cag in Ty, an observing Reta the dma
iment ofl hat he hela preciour in Buropean elation on a scale
6165 Citra Horsf the Miner od
never experienced before (excep: pecaps when the Hus and Vanda
ranged the Roman Empire roughly around the ie te rch yas put
'p)In Berenso's handsome ofthe mot dtngushed hand inthe
story of at history waldo arch i eectelyentielyremened
Som is context itv realy ae aa honorific moment for
‘umphant emperor and tamed ino ape qmbel ofall hts wort
the demise of Western cular, harbinger of the Dank ges, both ne
tal and contemporny.
Now de point of diss caner though monuments moat un
"unatehistoriography—actaly de most unfortunate {and some might
Sy ako undeserved) hstorography of sy monument in the Watery
fof Ween rts stress de strangeness afte entry of ay material
alte ito history. For to be diese within an argument, objets
‘nut ist be tranated out of hr nontexial being (a wo the.
‘Tham be lng hieny cing sb wos fa eee eo
he thes At fie it a Rees te ee on
Cin ie fouephes seco of the Tele nore) next
ted wp vide enc onthe tect tan cena te
tage tease ana mst ow coach pater feta
tetendouen a tela of aati ear was pee the
Ind of apa, Vsi bono errson when each ached Mt
‘het erpedo pin the Arh f Conte, impel oy,
batina ene user tft pera wen nwt
‘te might ll te feral acon wben comes io he pte
tetpis.
‘Al his has got me ound to spina ebjecs make the marie
Ca of Nar ste They sou dor gato pean
show nee od aoc aon a cae the pas he pce
2 materalobacle (of rue, an oc vled veal hata
tude thin te acne anes of og to an stay thee
tem exterior othe writen, bj fet arate 9, which
tre regent notin plc amon: hey ae etapa what
tre om agenda, thee hy hate Den smnone 1 eon.
bath are ao rerinreo el and agile hag hinge ve know
cr can core ln oor magical fom a epce of ree expeince
cutie emanate, What mates bere cr appeal oie tema
fate a wel a wihln te Fri in ht opace—vheter a Maria
tre venlty cer, alc or o's natal la aos opel
‘el greet ee nor ch Goan pact of ing e-
Cctopetrengh he experienc of igh cate nd great arta he
TGeoal pamusoogoa hh hn eed by aso ech
ef ont ca comet over pi.
“he callnge of encig see ental Bre of the mae
stalwonid igitbe hough cee te proce ommoning
Seren let oo their Hor ee epee mae hi
{tryout he mata word Btwe ane tobe Govier For hat
trons he adapon of comet ropa raed the appopt
‘on of erual dosent mesa ih donot lg te wae
‘hated Indet ed ot crn have ay indo gener agree
bso bw aj mea, how te sgl beer hey commie x68 Cut! Hisar the Meter Wok
We ave very ey sales ofthe vt of materialise wai
tion, ception, mniaureatin,nosce,imapanon mon
‘ext, volume, eet alone est aneion a inna,