Connoisseurship: The Art of Recognising a Masterpiece
October 21 - November 18
10.45 – 12.45 Wednesdays
£86.00 – £357.00
Description
How do we determine which artist might have painted what, hundreds of years ago? The old documents are rarely specific, and not always trustworthy, even when we still have them, which in most cases we don’t. So, we usually have to reason it out, by trusting our eyes; or, to be more precise, by trusting the eyes of some esteemed expert.
This course explores connoisseurship – that is, the process of recognising artists’ own handiwork – from every aspect, including its continually changing role in the practice of art history, and some infamous controversies that have arisen around it.
“Insightful course, thought provoking.”
Course Outline
21 Oct 2026 – A History of Connoisseurship, And Its Innovators
Cataloguing the great works, by eye, was the primary occupation of the best remembered art historians such as Roberto Longhi and Bernard Berenson. Nowadays, ‘scientific methods’ are more fashionable in the English-speaking world. But can x-rays and infrareds really reveal the artist? Can AI even do so?
28 Oct 2026 – The Methods of Connoisseurship
How did the renowned connoisseurs train their eyes? And what exactly were they looking for? In a word, everything: a painting’s material feel, its age, its style and, ultimately, its quality, all as factored into the broadest art-historical understanding.
04 Nov 2026 – But Haven’t We Had Enough of Experts?
What qualifies art historians as experts, and which of them should we trust? Are the most highly-promoted really the best? How is consensus among experts gained, and might it sometimes limit critical thinking?
11 Nov 2026 – Fakes, Copies, Workshop Versions, And Flattering Restorations
Fakes, though an exciting prospect – for catching out the experts – are rare. A few notorious swindlers are worthy of study; but confusion more usually arises from the abundance of secondary but genuinely old works on the market that reproduce the most celebrated images of the time. Here the connoisseur’s eye for quality is put most painfully to the test.
18 Nov 2026 – Will Connoisseurship Survive?
It was no coincidence that connoisseurship was most respected when the market for Old Master paintings was strongest. Now that the market has shrunk – the problem is both supply and demand – the incentive to develop the necessary skills is all but gone. So, what does the future hold for art-historical expertise?