antiquarianism
Passion for relics
Antiquarianism is devotion to collecting, studying, or preserving old objects, documents, and customs.
The term often carries a faintly dismissive tone, suggesting obsession with historical minutiae rather than broader understanding: His antiquarianism extended to Victorian doorknobs and servant bells.
An antiquarian pursues such interests; the adjective describes things related to them: antiquarian bookshops.
Act of unearthing
- artifactHuman-made historical object
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- provenanceRecord of ownership
- prehistoryEra before writing
Egyptology · paleontology · bioarchaeology · remains · fossil · typology · seriation · fieldwork
Love of books
- numismaticsStudy of currency
- philatelyStudy of postal stamps
- connoisseurshipRefined evaluative expertise
- catalogingSystematic organization into records
auctions · dealers · rarities · ephemera · manuscripts · acquisitions · provenance · appraisal
Study of ancient handwriting
- epigraphyStudy of ancient inscriptions
- bibliographyList of cited works
- hermeneuticsStudy of interpretation methods
- archiveStored historical records
manuscript · genealogy · provenance · treatise · lexicography · footnote · journals · rare books
Preventing waste or loss
- restorationReturning something to condition
- archivingStoring for long-term keeping
- stewardshipResponsible care of entrusted things
- curationSelective organization of items
safeguarding · maintenance · repair · rehabilitation · custodianship · climate control · patina · provenance
Small worthless ornament
- relicPreserved ancient object
- odditySomething unusual or unexpected
- heirloomInherited family treasure
- figurineSmall ornamental sculpture
keepsake · memento · knickknack · tchotchke · objet d'art · bauble · bric-a-brac · curio cabinet
Of lasting excellence
- period pieceWork set in past era
- heirloomInherited family treasure
- retroEvoking recent past
- old-fashionedBelonging to earlier times
traditional · dated · archaic · timeworn · patinated · aged · Victorian · Edwardian
Time not long past
- bygoneOf earlier times
- reminiscenceRecalling past experiences
- retrospectionContemplating past events
- wistfulnessTender sadness for absence
sepia-toned · golden age · halcyon · time-honored · old-world · quaint · sentimentality · romanticism
excavation
Act of unearthing
- artifactHuman-made historical object
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- provenanceRecord of ownership
prehistory · Egyptology · paleontology · bioarchaeology · remains · fossil · typology · seriation · fieldwork · burial goods
bibliophilia
Love of books
- numismaticsStudy of currency
- philatelyStudy of postal stamps
- connoisseurshipRefined evaluative expertise
cataloging · auctions · dealers · rarities · ephemera · manuscripts · acquisitions · provenance · appraisal · inventory
paleography
Study of ancient handwriting
- epigraphyStudy of ancient inscriptions
- bibliographyList of cited works
- hermeneuticsStudy of interpretation methods
archive · manuscript · genealogy · provenance · treatise · lexicography · footnote · journals · rare books · primary sources
conservation
Preventing waste or loss
- restorationReturning something to condition
- archivingStoring for long-term keeping
- stewardshipResponsible care of entrusted things
curation · safeguarding · maintenance · repair · rehabilitation · custodianship · climate control · patina · provenance · repatriation
trinket
Small worthless ornament
figurine · keepsake · memento · knickknack · tchotchke · objet d'art · bauble · bric-a-brac · curio cabinet · miniature
classic
Of lasting excellence
- period pieceWork set in past era
- heirloomInherited family treasure
- retroEvoking recent past
old-fashioned · traditional · dated · archaic · timeworn · patinated · aged · Victorian · Edwardian · Georgian
yesteryear
Time not long past
- bygoneOf earlier times
- reminiscenceRecalling past experiences
- retrospectionContemplating past events
wistfulness · sepia-toned · golden age · halcyon · time-honored · old-world · quaint · sentimentality · romanticism · longing
- book collectingbibliophiles, first editions, rare books, first edition, bookplates
- enlightenmentVoltaire, Rousseau, Locke, Kant, Montesquieu
- Victorian scholarshipphilology, classics, natural history, classical studies, historiography
- historical scienceshistoriography, paleography, numismatics, epigraphy, heraldry
- Renaissance HistoryItalian Renaissance, Machiavelli, Vasari, historical texts, chroniclers
- Roman HistoriographyLivy, Tacitus, Roman historians, Polybius, epitomes
antiquarianismmodernism
Favoring contemporary approaches
futurism · progressivism · neophilia · contemporaneity · innovation
antiquarianismdisposability
Meant to be discarded
planned obsolescence · consumerism · throwaway culture · minimalism · decluttering
antique, antiquity, antiques, antiquated, ancients, antiquarian