Luxury [ Taste & Manners ]
… been difficult to define. The eighteenth century saw a shift from ‘old’ to ‘new’ luxury (de Vries), from aristocratic displays of wealth and power to the widespread and sociable use of commodities like porcelain and silk. Such displays of tasteful and fashionable objects enhanced individual status, in domestic settings and in public spaces. … and hence cannot be conceived of without interaction. Humans not only have the urge to indulge in it but also to display it as evidence of their status. While philosophers, historians, and literati , from Plato to Werner Sombart, have …
Art | Commodities | Community | Consumption | Furniture | Luxury | Porcelain | Shopping | Tea-table | Women
Encyclopedia