How do dealers, auctioneers and museum staff determine whether a piece is by one painter or another? What role does the signature play, and what are the key clues to look for when deciding who painted the picture? Artists before the 18th century usually worked with a number of assistants around them, who were trained to reproduce the style of the master as closely as possible. How can we study these workshop productions, distinguishing between master and pupil, master and copyists? In this Discovery Day, we will consider clues, weigh up their relative usefulness, and learn some of the tricks of the connoisseur. Programme
9.30 Complimentary tea and coffee on arrival
10.00 Lecture: Looking with the Eyes Wide Open
We can stand for minutes in front of a painting and think we are seeing it, but how much have we actually noticed? Is it on canvas or on panel, for instance, or what pigments are used - and why does it matter?
11.00 Comfort Break
11.30 Lecture: Family likenesses, significant characteristics
When we receive a letter from some one we know well, we can often identify the writer from the handwriting on the envelope. This lecture will unpick some of the ways in which artists give away their identity, and demonstrate methods for learning to identify the hand of different artists.
1.00 Lunch. Complimentary glass of wine or soft drink is included.
2.00 Lecture: Finding your inner connoisseur
Chantal will guide you through an opportunity to try out your skills, identifying artists in a “spot the artist”, with a study of expert clues and give you a chance to try out your budding connoisseur skills of recognition. Tickets £37 per person including lunch, for menu options see booking form Click here We will return to St Mary’s Parish Centre, St. Mary's Road, Bodmin, PL31 1NF for this Discovery Day. Parking on site and nearby. Chantal Brotherton-Ratcliffe has an MA in History of Art from Edinburgh,and a PhD from the Warburg Institute, London University. With 40 years' experience as a lecturer, she has taught at Sotheby's Institute of Art on the MA in Fine and Decorative Arts since 1989, and as a freelance lecturer for a number of societies and institutions in London, including the National Gallery and the Wallace Collection. Having also trained as a paintings conservator, she brings an understanding of the making and the physical painting of works to her lectures. Our members loved her lecture on Jan Breughal in 2025 so much that we have invited her back to give us a Discovery Day. |