Renaissance Aestheticism

Attitudes toward collecting have undergone several major shifts since the end of the Medieval Period. Over the course of the Renaissance and into the Enlightenment, collections transformed from spaces that beautifully embodied all of creation in an orderly fashion for the owners’ own benefit to more scientifically-organized, specialized spaces for the benefit of a wider audience. Transformation can be seen in the objects collectors chose. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, diverse classes of people from nobles to pharmacists kept aristocratic and scientific collections of objects. Ferrante Imperato, for example, was an apothecary who often traveled to Southern Italy gathering specimens for his scientific collection. The frontispiece …show more content…
Between the Late Renaissance and the Enlightenment, there was a shift away from aestheticism in collection displays. In the Late Renaissance, objects were displayed according to their material or figurative groupings, each of which was also displayed in ways that were aesthetically pleasing. Ferrante’s cabinet, for example, has balance and symmetry, seen in the symmetry of the fish displayed around the window. Not only was organization influenced by aestheticism, but the objects themselves were also affected by it. Ferrante 's cabinet has hints of the relationship between culture and Christianity with science, as seen in the pelican piercing its breast on the left side of the room. Rather than the animal being shown in a natural pose or in its natural habitat, the taxidermied bird is mounted with aesthetic considerations. Similarly, Francesco’s cabinet display shows that aesthetics were taken into consideration. The four walls that each encapsulate a natural element give the room a balance that hearkens to the perfect balance of the divinely created world. Aesthetics was clearly a serious matter that these collectors considered when designing the arrangement of their …show more content…
According to Diderot, collections with an eclectic variety of objects were useless, full of errors and cannot be well organized. He believed that a cabinet should specialize in one subject, like natural history, and be purposed for scientific advancement. In the case of cabinets of natural history, the distinctly natural quality of the objects, their detailed organization, and the clear and standardized way they were to be displayed contributed to this goal. Additionally, inclusiveness was lodged in this drive for advancement. Diderot believed that these collections should be public, easily accessible and educational, rather than just for the betterment of their owners. Between the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, the purpose of collections changed from being to bring the collector better understand of the world at large to being for scientific progress and public