Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Antiquary
(1,266 words)

1. Definition

The word antiquary denotes a type of scholar in the early modern period—to the best of our knowledge usually male—in whose hands formerly functional objects like coins, inscriptions or gems from sarcophagi, altar stones, documents, or manuscripts became historical “monuments.” The (modern) abstract noun “antiquarianism” thus covers a range of early modern erudition that is wildly heterogeneous both in approach and in the objects studied. Unlike the polymath, the antiquary…

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Sawilla, Jan Marco, “Antiquary”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_016921>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20160321



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