Appel à communications : Early Modern Tools of Artistic Production, RSA, date limite le 10 août 2022

The tools used by early modern artists and artisans including brushes, canvases, drills, chisels, palettes, weights, compasses, kilns, and countless other implements used in the fabrication and creation of works of art or craft, became entangled with professional identity and mastery over a medium. In this vein, artistic tools often served as a metonym for the body of the consummate artist. At the same time, the instruments used by artists had real and tangible ramifications for the ability to execute a work of art and the quality of the production.

This panel solicits contributions that investigate topics centered on the tools and utensils used by artists and artisans to create works of art and artefacts, broadly conceived. Possible topics might include but are not limited to: the way artistic instruments affected training and production; innovations and improvements to tools; studio or laboratory inventories; technical treatises, literature, and images of the artist’s implements; and the crafting of tools across broad geographic and cultural domains.

Organizer: Janna Israel, Princeton University Art Museum, e-mail: ji0108@princeton.edu

To submit a proposal for this panel, please send by email:

A paper title (15-word maximum)

A paper abstract (150-word maximum)

CV / resume that includes your full name; affiliation and title (or “Independent Scholar”); and e-mail address

Please note that participating in the annual meeting of the RSA requires current membership and conference registration.

Deadline: 10 August 2022