Ever since the Middle Ages it was the practice in Europe to mount exotic objects such as oriental porcelain in settings of precious or semiprecious metal as tribute to their rarity and value. In the seventeenth century, when Chinese and Japanese porcelains began to reach the West in considerable quantities, the practice continued, especially in France. …
The invention of the daguerreotype and calotype processes fundamentally changed scholarly and aesthetic approaches to the past. The accuracy and immediacy of photographs gave scientists a new means to document and study ancient architecture, artifacts, and language. …