Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

An object’s material, use and place of discovery constrain historical interpretation.

How to study this source

• What can an object tell us that a text cannot?

  coreThe Met Timeline: choose one object-linked essay and record the catalogue context

  An object’s material, use and place of discovery constrain historical interpretation.

• How can close looking change what we see?

  coreChoose one essay and its linked object record; note region, period and author

  An interpretation should connect visible features to context rather than substitute a label for observation.

• How can an object’s use change its interpretation?

  coreOne essay about a ritual or everyday object, plus its linked object record

  Material form and social use can reveal different aspects of the same object.

Ideas and questions

Read background definitions when a term blocks the argument. Then return to the source and reconstruct its claim in your own words.

Read alongside, read against