First Globalisation

The circulation of goods and people experienced unprecedented acceleration between the 1500s and 1700s. Exchanges across all continents brought profound transformation to societies and territories. The great competing powers embarked on policies of conquest, generating migrations, and facilitating technical, social, and cultural transfers.

Exotic, rare, and previously unknown materials and items filled “cabinets of curiosities” in Europe, revealing a fascination for far away and mysterious lands. Exposure to distant cultures, new materials and wondrous objects inspired artists and craftsmen to visually represent these changes, oftentimes hybridizing pieces to integrate their own techniques and aesthetics. Portraiture moved from a codified representation to a quest for understanding diversity through personal artistic interpretations. In a world with newly broadened horizons, the notion of the norm as well as the model and role of the artist were re-examined in new terms.