Art History Notes: Ringbinders

Part of the European Art Collections

Description

These individual volumes contain handwritten notes made by Sir Denis Mahon regarding his art historical research. Comprising transcribed extracts from primary archival sources and secondary publications connected with his work, these notes are also enriched by Sir Denis’s own marginal notations, outlining his personal thoughts and opinions on the material. The majority of the content was taken down from 1934 to 1960, with some later additions. A small number of early binders contain material by Otto Kurz (1908-1975), an art historian, colleague, and friend, who was introduced to Sir Denis in 1935 by Dr. Henrich Bodmer (1885-1950). Whilst the binders date from the 1930s, the transcribed content itself dates from the 17th century onwards, and is taken from books, private collection catalogues, alongside sales and exhibition catalogues. Material from archival collections including correspondence and inventories are also noted, offering vital provenance information for artworks of interest. We learn from Sir Denis’s own titles and descriptive notes for the binders that he gained access to secondary sources through library collections in Britain and continental Europe, including The Witt Library, The British Museum, The Victoria and Albert Museum, The British Library, and The National Gallery, as well as The Louvre in France. For his archival research he travelled great distances to procure access to these as yet untapped resources, and we see numerous references appearing for state archives across Italy, and also in Spain for example. To a large degree extracts primarily trace works by Guercino in both national and international collections, with specific binders being dedicated to named cities, countries or individual collections. However, other artists are also included such as Caravaggio, Poussin, and Reni, amongst others. Writings on art history more broadly are also included. Two ringbinders also take account of more familial matters closer to home, being labelled as concerning the family history of the Mahons of Castlegar.

Creator

Mahon, Denis

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Related topics

Mahon, Denis