La datation des objets : quelques exemples concrets

Abstract

The act of dating an object implies the restitution of the period in which it was created. It is an act which can give the object a status as a marker for dating other objects with similar stylistic characteristics. So dating is an important process, which requires great attention and numerous verifications. The authenticity of a chronogram, of a hallmark, must be verified as must be the homogeneity if the object. Noting the marks of workshops, signatures or other identification markers can lead to approximate dating for lack of a precise year. Iconographical elements and technical features can also help date an object, but archival sources (commissions, bills), when they survive, are surer tools for dating. Stylistic comparisons are to be used with prudence, only allowing for a chronological period whilst awaiting further details. The Ministry of Culture and Communication puts on the web some catalogues of dated objects which are designed to allow for approximate dating of objects of similar style.

Keywords

• dating
• ex-voto
• Maurice Denis
• Pauline Perdrau
• sixteenth-century stained glass
• seventeenth-century stained glass