This thesis explores the early modern coffeehouse and its bourgeois clientele in Europe in the form of a case study on Dutch coffeehouses in Amsterdam in the 17th and 18th centuries. The chosen...Show moreThis thesis explores the early modern coffeehouse and its bourgeois clientele in Europe in the form of a case study on Dutch coffeehouses in Amsterdam in the 17th and 18th centuries. The chosen inquiry seeks to elucidate how a new social category – the bourgeoisie – developed over altered drinking habits, materials and the corresponding aesthetical codes within the social institution of the coffeehouse. Rather newly, the coffeehouse as an institution of publicness and consumption in the Enlightenment is researched from the angle of visual and material history. On the whole, this thesis contributes to the cultural historical field of early modern consumption. One result is that the consumer goods coffee and porcelain created a balance between rational forms of conduct and individual attitudes within the public sphere of coffeehouses. A multifarious historical approach by the means of visual and textual sources towards the early modern consumption of both coffee and porcelain considers the correspondent material qualities and suggests that porcelain from China has been remarkably suitable for the coffee ritual which entered Europe from the Middle and Near East. The thereby evolved tastes were groundbreaking for the rise of the bourgeoisie. This is demonstrated by the analysis of the design and arrangement of the vessels required for the individual and collective display of the tastes around coffee-drinking, on the basis of inventories and images. From a postcolonial perspective, the present thesis outlines which associations around the historical concept of luxury accompanied the adoption of Asian coffee and porcelain coffee ware into European consumption habits, while the world of coffee has always been represented as an oriental theme in travelogues, recipe books, medicinal treatises and fashion plates. Furthermore, the thesis describes how these ideas and values associated with coffee-drinking enabled the consolidation of the social construct of a specific regional group of the urban middleclass bourgeoisie, while locating the coffeehouse in the unique historical environment of early modern Amsterdam.Show less
The research focuses on the frontispieces from René Descartes' Opera philosophica, printed in 1664 in Amsterdam by Janssonius & Weyerstraten, addressing the role that images play in the...Show moreThe research focuses on the frontispieces from René Descartes' Opera philosophica, printed in 1664 in Amsterdam by Janssonius & Weyerstraten, addressing the role that images play in the understanding of a philosophical text. The first part offers a visual analysis and identification of the two prints, attributing them to artist Cornelis Hellemans. A brief account of the circulation and reprinting of these engravings is also given. The second part looks at the two prints from an embodied cognition perspective, investigating a deeper layer of visual understanding through bodily metaphors. The gestures and countenance of the figures are analyzed in depth through the theories of Lakoff & Johnson. Lastly, the third part investigates the role that images play in reading comprehension through contemporary accounts and studies, especially those pioneered by Glenberg. The possibilities and limits of the embodied cognition framework for art historical research are also taken into consideration here.Show less
In this paper, the gardens of seventeenth and eighteenth century country houses of Java and Suriname will be compared to the gardens of country houses in the Netherlands. This paper forms a part of...Show moreIn this paper, the gardens of seventeenth and eighteenth century country houses of Java and Suriname will be compared to the gardens of country houses in the Netherlands. This paper forms a part of a broader research on the imperial cohesion of the Dutch Republic in the seventeenth and eighteenth century.Show less
This MA thesis examines how several early modern English poets and playwrights draw on and modify discourses about female-female desire. It looks at the poems “Sapho to Philaenis” (1633) by John...Show moreThis MA thesis examines how several early modern English poets and playwrights draw on and modify discourses about female-female desire. It looks at the poems “Sapho to Philaenis” (1633) by John Donne, “The Description of Cookham” (1611) by Aemilia Lanyer, and “To My Excellent Lucasia” (1654) by Katherine Philips. I will also investigate The Convent of Pleasure (1668) by Margaret Cavendish, and William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1595). These poems and plays are read in tandem with early modern discourses of medicine and friendship. Medical texts generally condemn sexual relations between women through the transgressive figure of the tribade, who is characterised by unbridled lust. Discourses of friendship propose a different figure: that of the platonic female friend. Both discourses propose radically different views on female love. Furthermore, writers within each discourse often disagree with one another and do not present a unanimous verdict on the significance, danger, and prevalence of female-female attraction, desire, and love. This leaves room for writers of poetry and plays to experiment with their portrayals of love between women. Poets and playwrights write far more nuanced portrayals of female same-sex desire and love than medical and amicitial discourses may lead us to expect, often making a case for the potency and validity of female-female love.Show less
This research has focussed on frailty and stress in the late medieval and early modern populations of the Broerenkerk in Zwolle and the Eusebiuskerk in Arnhem, in order to understand how stress...Show moreThis research has focussed on frailty and stress in the late medieval and early modern populations of the Broerenkerk in Zwolle and the Eusebiuskerk in Arnhem, in order to understand how stress affected individuals from different sexes, age categories, and status. To understand this, three methods were used: linear enamel hypoplasia, cribra orbitalia, and porotic hyperostosis. In total, 84 skeletons were analysed. The populations have been analysed with each other as well as on their own. The methods have been compared to each other to understand whether they might relate to each other and whether it was likely that they occurred within a skeleton simultaneously. Results showed that there was no statistical significance within or between the sex and age-at-death categories within and between the populations, except for the cribra orbitalia results between the population of the Eusebiuskerk and the Broerenkerk. This has been linked to status: the population buried in the Broerenkerk was of a higher status than the population of the Eusebiuskerk. Although they were likely not extremely rich, as illustrated by the job names presented on the covering slabs, they likely had better access to food. The population of the Eusebiuskerk was likely to be of a very poor status due to trade tokens found with the individuals and because they were buried in the northern church grounds. The fact that the individuals from Zwolle showed less linear enamel hypoplasia might be the result of them experiencing less long term stress. Poor individuals lived close together in guesthouses, which means that illnesses could spread faster. So, it is clear that stress affected statuses differently, and that individuals from Arnhem were more fragile as a result. Yet, care must be taken as limitations are present.Show less
This BA-thesis focuses on cisterns in early modern Amsterdam, building upon the research conducted by Gawronski and Veerkamp in 2007. In their research, a number of topics are treated, such as...Show moreThis BA-thesis focuses on cisterns in early modern Amsterdam, building upon the research conducted by Gawronski and Veerkamp in 2007. In their research, a number of topics are treated, such as cistern sizes and capacities. However, little attention is spent to different functional applications of cisterns. Furthermore, spatial dispersion of cisterns in Amsterdam is completely left out. Therefore, in this thesis functional application of cisterns, divided into seven categories of context, and their spatial aspects are focused upon. Data was retrieved from the Amsterdamse Archeologische Rapporten (AAR), in which ninety-one cisterns are documented. This thesis has emerged clear differences and relations between size and capacity, and different categories of context of cisterns. These differences are explained both by functional application of the cistern, as well as wealth of its owner. Spatially, clear clusters of cisterns are recognised in post-17th century neighbourhoods, such as the Jordaan, canal belts and the islands of Marken and Oostenburg. Even in pre-17th century neighbourhoods, many cisterns are located in association to newly built 17th-18th century structures. In order to make more detailed conclusions about the use and dating of cisterns, more extensive documentation, and new dating methods are needed.Show less
Botany saw numerous publications in Europe during the 16th – 17th centuries, most of which contained illustrations. Another visual aspect of these books which has received less study is the...Show moreBotany saw numerous publications in Europe during the 16th – 17th centuries, most of which contained illustrations. Another visual aspect of these books which has received less study is the frontispiece. This essay provides a case study on the two frontispieces for the English work known as "The Herball" (1597, 1633). This study investigates the visual thinking of early modern Europe and the relationship between art and science during this period. The central question to be answered during this research is: What can the 1597 and 1633 frontispieces for John Gerard’s "The Herball" tell us about the visual understanding of botany in the late 16th and early 17th century England?Show less
