‘… Let No Man Put Asunder’: How Much Do Collections Matter?

Dr Timothy Schroder, FSA, Former Curator, Lecturer and Author

Collections are clearly important. Related objects when seen together have more to tell us than when seen alone and a good collection is always more than the sum of its parts. But objects are promiscuous and they move thoughtlessly on from one collection to another without losing their identity or significance. A quite different question is whether old collections, just by virtue of having been together for a long time, should stay that way. This lecture looks at different collections, in different media and from different times, and asks whether the very fact of their longevity as collections matters too, or whether we are confusing substance with sentimentality.