Art and aristocracy in late Stuart England

Thesis

Art was integral to the lives of the late Stuart aristocracy. Through case studies of the art patronage of three aristocratic couples, this interdisciplinary thesis examines their stylistic influences, the strategies and networks that underlay their patronage, and why they invested so much time, effort, and money on buildings, interiors, gardens, and moveable works of art. In doing so, it illuminates the dynamics of late Stuart aristocratic society, while simultaneously deepening our understanding of the art itself. It explores the relationship between monarchy and aristocracy in the pivotal decades around the Glorious Revolution, finding that despite the profound political consequences of the Revolution, the court continued to attract the aristocracy as the leader of artistic fashion. It emphasises that aristocrats were integrated into wider European court culture, and shows how they adopted a range of strategies to obtain fashionable and exclusive foreign artworks in order to demonstrate their proximity to the centres of fashion and differentiate themselves from their peers. They employed immigrant artists and craftsmen, adopted European designs, and some travelled to the continent, modelling their patronage on the European potentates they encountered. This thesis dethrones the lone male patron by identifying the household staff and agents, and kinship, county, associational and political networks that were integral to art patronage. It also considers the dynamics of conjugal patronage, uncovering the important contribution of married women, while recognising that it was circumscribed within legal, economic, and social strictures. Finally, it questions previous assumptions that aristocratic art, particularly in country houses, was politically motivated and directed towards instrumental purposes. Differentiating between politics and power, it demonstrates that these aristocrats principally used art to demonstrate and maintain their status through displays of magnificence; to invest in their estates on behalf of the dynasty; and to commemorate their own achievements for posterity.

Authors: Lim, A

• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: late Stuart; art; art patronage; aristocracy; nobility
• Subjects: Art and history; Art patronage; Influence (Literary, artistic, etc.); Nobility; History