Paraphernalia of Victorian Gentility: Books, Tea and Vases
Domain Dr, Auckland Domain, Parnell, Auckland
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The famous motto ‘art for art’s sake’ encapsulates the idea of Aestheticism that proliferated during the 19th century. The supporters of aestheticism shifted the values of mainstream Victorian culture that believed art and literature illustrated codes of ethics and good behaviour. For the aesthetes, art was about the elevation of taste and the pure pursuit of beauty. The ethos of Aestheticism streamed into material improvement and was succeeded by the Arts & Crafts Movement. Objects made and used during the Victorian era reflected the shifts and tensions in culture values and ideologies.
Join Grace Lai and Deirdre Harrison collection specialist and curators from the Auckland Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira, to hear the stories behind some of the object d’art desired and prized by Victorians from the Mackelvie collection.
This event is open to all and we encourage you to extend the invitation as widely as you wish.
RSVP to info@mackelviesociety.com
About the speakers
Guided by a curiosity for forgotten stories, Grace Lai an art historian, curator and writer interested in seeking out the webs of connections between material and immaterial culture. In 2017, she took on the role of Curator of Applied Arts and Design at Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum, where she leads the exhibition, curation, and development of a national archive of craft and design.
With a background in Archaeology and Classics, Dierdre’s training focused on African Stone and Iron age archaeology alongside Greek vase paintings. She has held her role of Collection Manager of Archaeology at Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum for over 6 years, where she shares her vast knowledge of archaeology in New Zealand and the wider Pacific.
Image credit: Cup and Saucer, England, 19th Century. Mackelvie Collection on loan to Auckland Museum 1932.233, 10374; Tazza, Italy. Mackelvie Collection on loan to Auckland Museum, 1932.233, 66466.
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