Marking Time

The period from 1500 to 1800 in England was one of extraordinary social transformations, many having to do with the way time itself was understood, measured, and recorded. Through a focused exploration of an extensive private collection of fine and decorative artworks, this beautifully designed volume explores that theme and the variety of ways that individual notions of time and mortality shifted. The feature uniting these more than 450 varied objects is that each one bears a specific date, which marks a significant moment – for reasons personal or professional, religious or secular, private or public. From paintings to porringers, teapots to tape measures, the objects – and the stories they tell – offer a vivid sense of the lived experience of time, while providing a sweeping survey of the material world of early modern Britain.