Attribution, Expertise, Connoisseurship

This subject is not offered in 2008.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

This subject develops skills in discriminating between works of art primarily by means of their visual properties, in order to make judgements about authorship and attribution. It provides a foundation for developing professional skills required by auction houses such as Sotheby's and Christie's as well as dealers and galleries. The main tasks involve the attribution of unpublished works of art of the kind to be found on the art market and the writing of expertises solicited by auction houses. Particular attention will be paid to a wide range of traditional and recent resources, including auction catalogues, both contemporary and historical, indexes of artists' signatures and collectors' marks (Lugt), photographic archives (Witt Library), and online databases (Getty Provenance Index). Examples considered focus on landscape painting and drawing in Italy 1500-1800. Students completing the subject should have developed skills in attribution and dating, researching provenances, writing catalogue entries, and providing expertise to the art trade.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• be skilled in research;

• possess advanced skills of critical thinking and analysis;

• possess an ability to communicate knowledge intelligibly, economically and effectively;

• have an understanding of social, ethical and cultural context.