Armed conflict and war characterized the first interactions between European and extra-European lands. Consequently, the suddenly booming Western market for non-European artefacts consisted to a large extent of objects that were the spoils of war. Section 5 of the symposium “All the Beauty of the World. The Western Market for non-European Artefacts (18th-20th century)” focuses on these objects and their integration into the Western market. In their respective talks, Felicity Bodenstein (Florence) and Christine Howald (Berlin) ask: Which new objects came on the market? How did these objects affect already existing market value structures, and how was the market used to legitimize this war booty?
Christine Howald | The Power of Pricing. The Legitimization of Chinese Looted Art on the European Market (1860-1862)