{"product_id":"the-age-of-the-marvelous-9780944722107","title":"The Age of the Marvelous","description":"\u003cp\u003eDuring the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries  Europeans were captivated by the marvelous. This term was used to describe events or objects that were considered unusual  extraordinary  or rare and that aroused in the viewer a sense of wonder  which the French philosopher Rene Descartes regarded as \"the first of all the passions.\" The taste for the marvelous was remarkably widespread during this period and found expression in the visual arts  literature  music and drama  the natural sciences  religion  and philosophy. Among the reasons for the growing interest in the marvelous were the recovery of ancient texts that commented on marvels and marvelous effects; the efforts of the Catholic church to convince the faithful of the truth of Gods miracles; and the profound impact of great scientific achievements  such as the invention of the telescope  that revealed new and fascinating aspects of the physical world. Perhaps most significant was the exploration of hitherto unknown lands by Christopher Columbus and others  which exerted an enormous influence on the European imagination and literally reshaped the way the world was understood. Published to accompany the exhibition The Age of the Marvelous  organized by the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College  this catalogue offers the most thorough treatment of the subject to date. The essays were written by a team of scholars assembled by guest curator Joy Kenseth  Associate Professor of Art History at Dartmouth College and a specialist in Italian art of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Dr. Kenseths introduction addresses both the criteria of the marvelous and the contemporary influences on this phenomenon. A second essay describes the cabinets of curiosities known as Kunst- und Wunderkammern (rooms of art and marvels)  that flourished at the time. James Mirollo  Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University  then examines the aesthetics of the marvelous in literature. The following three essays  dealing with anthropological  zoological and botanical wonders  are written by James Welu  Director of the Worcester Art Museum; William Ashworth  Associate Professor of the History of Science at the University of Missouri; and Elisabeth MacDougall  former Director of Studies in the History of Landscape Architecture  Dumbarton Oaks. The last three essays  describing marvels of art  are contributed by Mark Weil  Professor of Art History at Washington University  St. Louis; Arthur Wheelock  Curator of Northern Baroque Painting at The National Gallery of Art in Washington; and Zirka Filipczak  Professor of Art History at Williams College. This book includes descriptive catalogue entries for 225 objects. These works range from paintings  sculpture  prints  drawings  and illustrated books to maps and scientific instruments. The rich variety of objects in The Age of The Marvelous exhibition and in this catalogue celebrates the depth and breadth of this cultural phenomenon during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45279982813237,"sku":"ByrdShop_0944722105","price":247.43,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780944722107.jpg?v=1780617112","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-age-of-the-marvelous-9780944722107","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}