A history of Britain in 10 art objects: the 17th century

This course will use ten carefully-curated objects in different media as starting points from which to explore themes of British history and visual culture in the long 17th century, roughly 1630-1730. Through close observation, we will explore each of the objects’ individual properties as well as their relationships to each other and their place in the wider social and political contexts of the period in question. This is a 10 session course and must be taken with W110Am06 in week 1.

Aims

This course aims to:

1. Analyse individual images in close detail and compare and contrast them with others;
2. Think about different media, their functions and effects;
3. Place artworks within their wider social and historical contexts.

Content

This series of talks will explore ten carefully-curated objects in different media, including paintings, prints, and buildings, using them as starting points from which to explore themes of British art history in the long seventeenth century, roughly 1630-1730. This time period covers important historical moments that also shaped the course of visual culture, from the introduction of the Baroque style into England to the foundation of the first British art academies. Through close observation, you will explore each of the objects’ individual properties as well as their relationships to each other and their place in the wider social and political contexts of the period in question. 

Presentation of the course

This two-week course will consist of ten in-person talks with time built in for discussion during each session.

Class sessions

Sessions 1 & 2: Britain and Europe

The first sessions will explore the relationship of the British Isles with Europe, addressing the introduction of the Baroque style into England and issues of continental artistic exchange. They will explore this theme alongside that of Stuart patronage – including the influence of consorts – through the close study of a portrait of Anna of Denmark by Paul van Somer and a royal group portrait by Anthony van Dyck. 

Sessions 3 & 4: Britain and the Globe

These sessions will focus on the growth of colonialism and Britain’s role in the trade of enslaved people, as well as the impact both had on visual culture in the seventeenth century. It will introduce some of the various ways in which People of Colour were represented in British art of the time, using a portrait of William Fielding, 1st Earl of Denbigh, by Anthony van Dyck as a starting point. This will lead to a discussion, via a costume design by Inigo Jones, about how both Blackness and Britishness were performed in visual culture of the time, explored through masque culture, ceremonial and mural painting.

Sessions 5 & 6: Forms and Functions

Sessions 5 & 6 will look further at the functions of different visual media, focussing here on the print and the drawing. The emergence of print culture as a key artform will be addressed as a way of disseminating knowledge and influence, using prints after the Restoration murals at Windsor Castle as a starting point. A preparatory sketch for an extensive mural painting at Petworth House in West Sussex will be used to explore issues of function, patronage and the creative process.

Sessions 7 & 8: Genres and Transformations

The evolution across the century of two particular genres of art will be addressed in Sessions 7 & 8. They will include book illustration, in particular of works of classical literature, starting from a print from an edition of Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses’, as well as the genre of the ‘house portrait’, and how the artistic focus was gradually shifted from building to landscape as protagonist. 

Sessions 9 & 10: Gender and Representation

The final two sessions will explore how women and men were represented in art at the turn of the eighteenth century. It will look at the ‘beauty’ type via a full-length portrait by Michael Dahl, and in particular how its display related to the place of women in society. The session will conclude by looking at the contemporaneous representation of men via a Kit-Cat portrait by Godfrey Kneller, and at how form relates to the communication of the idea of politeness.

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes for this course are:

1. Visual analysis skills for the purpose of examining of individual images in close detail and in order to compare and contrast them with others;
2. An understanding about different media, their functions and effects;
3. Knowledge of artworks within their wider social and historical contexts.

Typical week: Monday to Friday

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students. 

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.

Evaluation and Academic Credit 

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses. 

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay.

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.

Certificate of attendance

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.