Luxury [ Taste & Manners ]
… century. By its very nature, luxury is always defined in relation to an audience 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. … prerogative of the privileged classes of rulers, warriors, churchmen and landowners’ 2 who displayed items associated with ‘surplus resources’ and ‘high culture’ to cement their elite status and underline their authority. Thus, the display … sociability: The more these refined arts advance, the more sociable men become : nor is it possible, that, when enriched with science, and possessed of a fund of conversation, they should be contented to remain in solitude, or live with their …
Art | Commodities | Community | Consumption | Furniture | Luxury | Porcelain | Shopping | Tea-table | Women
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