Samantha Happé

University of Melbourne, Art History, School of Culture and Communication, Graduate Student

Followers

Following

Public Views

PhD candidate in the Art History department at University of Melbourne ; Sessional Tutor in the Art History department at University of Melbourne; Research Officer in the Centre for Art History and Theory at Australian National University.

Currently studying the role of the gift in negotiating diplomatic relationships between France and non-European nations during the reign of Louis XIV. Doctoral thesis examines the visual and material culture surrounding the Persian embassy to Versailles in 1715.

less

Pilar Diez del Corral Corredoira

Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia

Andreas Umland

National University of "Kyiv-Mohyla Academy"

Sajjad Rizvi

University of Exeter

Rebecca Zorach

Northwestern University

David Seamon

Kansas State University

Armando Marques-Guedes

UNL - New University of Lisbon

Maria Nilsson

Lund University

Benjamin C Tilghman

Washington College

Olga Palagia

National & Kapodistrian University of Athens

Christiane Gruber

University of Michigan

InterestsView All (11)

Uploads

Papers by Samantha Happé

Portable diplomacy: Louis XIV’s ‘boîtes à portrait’

The Burlington Magazine, 2024

Louis XIV’s ambitious and carefully orchestrated diplomatic programme included gifts of jewelled ... more Louis XIV’s ambitious and carefully orchestrated diplomatic programme included gifts of jewelled miniature portraits known as ‘boîtes à portrait’. Using the ‘Présents du Roi’, the circumstances around the commissioning and creation of these precious objects can be explored and a possible recipient suggested for a well-preserved example now in the Musée du Louvre, Paris.

Download

Afterlives of the Persian Gifts to Versailles

Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies, 2024

The fate of diplomatic gifts after their presentation can reveal patterns of instability and shif... more The fate of diplomatic gifts after their presentation can reveal patterns of instability and shifting narratives on the items themselves and how they were perceived and received at the time. Often, these important pieces of material evidence disappear or are decontextualised from their exchange. This has been the case with the Persian embassy to Louis XIV’s court at Versailles in 1715, where the gifts that were presented to the Sun King were thought to have been lost. This paper traces the afterlives of two of the gifted items: a string of pearls and two gold boxes of mumia. Each of these gifts were retained by the French administration and can be tracked through the eighteenth century. Their journeys reveal much about their evolving significances and the re-evaluations that occurred once they entered the French collections.

Download

Almanacs Illustrating Extraordinary Embassies During the Reign of the Sun King

Cerae: An Australiasian Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, 2022

Almanacs produced in eighteenth-century France were inexpensive, large, broadside calendars squa... more Almanacs produced in eighteenth-century France were inexpensive, large, broadside calendars squarely aimed at the developing literate middle-class. They were both functional and aesthetic, generally consisting of a large single image depicting the key state event of the previous year with a smaller section at the bottom of the page including the months of the year and working days. While they were issued through the reign of Louis XIII, almanacs reached an apogee during the reign of Louis XIV, as more than five hundred were produced over the course of sixty years. Working separately to the propaganda machine that manufactured the public image of Louis XIV, these almanacs were an effective tool in disseminating knowledge of important events of the Sun King’s reign. This is particularly evident in the grand depictions of extraordinary non-European embassies, where I argue there was a conscious continuity of visual motifs employed in the almanacs. The deliberate manipulation of imagery served to enhance the legibility of the depicted diplomatic exchanges, reinforcing the public demonstration and expression of Louis XIV’s magnificence – or gloire. By placing the illustrations of extraordinary embassies that arrived at the court of Louis XIV in a chronological sequence, I establish patterns of representation suggestive of an established and conventionalised visual vocabulary. Beginning with standards of representation established with the 1668 reception for the Muscovy ambassadors, I analyse almanacs depicting welcoming receptions of embassies from Morocco, Algeria, Genoa, and Siam, demonstrating references to earlier calendars to create a system of legibility. This article emphasises the importance of almanacs as a burgeoning form of news media during late-seventeenth- and early-eighteenth-century France.

Download

Books by Samantha Happé

Refashioning the khila’ in Safavid Persia and Early Modern Europe

Material Selves: Object Biographies and Identities in Motion, 2024

The khila’ was a robe of honour that formed part of a larger ensemble of clothing and weaponry gi... more The khila’ was a robe of honour that formed part of a larger ensemble of clothing and weaponry given by an Islamic ruler to their subordinates, generally in recognition of their service and enduring loyalty. During the Safavid Empire (1501-1722), these robes were presented to European delegations at the conclusion of their visit, prior to the final reception. To the Persian Shah, the khila‘ acted as a highly public proclamation of his opinion and ambition, reflected in the complex iconography of the ornament woven into the robe. Once the ambassador returned to Europe, however, the khila‘ changed meaning: it became linked with the wearer, acting as a marker of their status and asserting their knowledge of, and connection to, the ‘Orient’. This chapter argues that the khila‘ mediated communication as it moved through different cultural contexts. Focusing on the khila‘ as an embodiment of aspects of identity in Safavid Persia and Europe, I propose that its status was fluid and deeply entwined with its shifting cultural frameworks. In Persia, the khila‘ was an unambiguous symbol of the Shah’s domination over, and opinion of, the wearer. However, in Europe, it became linked with the ambassador’s knowledge, expertise, and authority.

Download

Portable diplomacy: Louis XIV’s ‘boîtes à portrait’

The Burlington Magazine, 2024

Download

Afterlives of the Persian Gifts to Versailles

Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies, 2024

Download

Almanacs Illustrating Extraordinary Embassies During the Reign of the Sun King

Cerae: An Australiasian Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, 2022

Download

Refashioning the khila’ in Safavid Persia and Early Modern Europe

Material Selves: Object Biographies and Identities in Motion, 2024

Download

Samantha Happé

Uploads

Papers by Samantha Happé

Books by Samantha Happé

Log In