In the fall semester of the first year, fellows study American furniture, concentrating on the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The second major block deals with American silver production. As in their study of furniture, fellows have the opportunity to work directly with museum objects and to explore the extensive library holdings on early American silver. The second of the three connoisseurship courses takes place in the spring of the first year. The course is comprised of three five-week blocks on ceramics, base metals and textiles.
Curators bring objects from the collections into the classroom.
There are also intensive sessions in the Museum's study collections. The final semester of connoisseurship is devoted to study of American prints and portraits, concentrating on Winterthur's holdings. Glass objects occupy a separate block as do books from the Library's impressive array of original imprints. Winterthur also has an outstanding slide library, and the Decorative Arts Photographic Collection is an invaluable aid to fellows throughout their connoisseurship training. Additional Courses at Winterthur Winterthur's Office of Advanced Studies offers three courses that build upon the methodology of the connoisseurship offerings.