The Digital Ark: Early Modern Collections of Curiosities in England and Scotland, 1580-1700

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Inventoried Monsters

Secondary Title (i.e. Proceedings Title): Editions of this work: Periodical Title:Journal of the History of Collections Publication Type: Authors:Ghadessi, Touba Editors: Publisher: Place of Publication: Publication Date:Nov 2011 Alternate Date (i.e. Conference Date): Volume:23 Issue:2 Start Page:267 End Page:281 Abstract:Inventories stand as records of ducal and regal possessions and offer glimpses into the politics of display associated with the households of rulers. In these inventories, the oscillation between object and subject is for monsters one that is particularly legible: dwarves were listed alongside typical attendants but were also classified as objects of curiosity; the names of hirsute subjects were written next to those of noble-men who received land, yet other inventories listed them as Christmas gifts. By ‘inventorying’ monsters, secretaries attempted to categorize them alongside normal subjects and objects and thus to regularize their existence within the established rigid parameters of court settings. As systems of conventions that integrated dissidence into a regulated frame, inventories imposed a classification scheme that, in fact, highlighted the liminal position of court monsters. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER] Descriptors/Keywords: Courts & courtiers
Little people (Dwarfism)
Kings & rulers -- History
Inventories
Monsters
Little people (Dwarfism) in art ISBN: URL:https://doi-org.cyber.usask.ca/10.1093/jhc/fhq031
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