Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Dilettante
(1,492 words)

1. Concept

A dilettante (from the Italian dilettare, “to delight”) was a non-professional exponent of an art. Its use in Italian dates from the late 17th century and in English from the early 18th. Together with the related terms “connoisseur” (French connaisseur) and “amateur” (French amateur), it has since the 18th century covered a complex field of non-professional performance and reception of art, against the background of a professionalization process driven by institutions in the ar…

Cite this page
Lütteken, Laurenz and Brakensiek, Stephan, “Dilettante”, 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_018338>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20170626



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