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To Have & To Hold: The Collector’s Eye and the Object of Desire

To Have & To Hold: The Collector’s Eye and the Object of Desire

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About This Event

Dr Helen Jacobsen and Gonzague Mézin will present a talk at St. Hilda's College in Oxford on 19 October 2026. The Edgar Wind Society hosts this conversation on collecting and craft, and tickets are priced from £3.00.

What makes a great collector, and what transforms admiration for an object into the desire to possess it?

Join the Edgar Wind Society for a conversation between Dr Helen Jacobsen FSA, art historian, Executive Director of the Attingham Trust and former Senior Curator at the Wallace Collection, and Gonzague Mézin, creator of exceptional decorative objects and the driving force behind the revival of Lignereux, the historic French house of objets rares.

Bringing together historical scholarship and contemporary creative practice, they will explore how taste is formed, how collectors and makers influence one another, and what makes an object truly exceptional. From the great collectors of the past to the creation of extraordinary objects today, the conversation will examine rarity, craftsmanship, connoisseurship and the enduringly human desire to possess beautiful things. An evening exploring rarity, beauty, ingenuity, and the enduring human desire to surround ourselves with extraordinary things.

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Frequently asked questions

To Have & To Hold: The Collector’s Eye and the Object of Desire takes place on Monday, 19 October 2026 at 18:30.

To Have & To Hold: The Collector’s Eye and the Object of Desire is held at St. Hilda's College in Oxford.

Tickets for To Have & To Hold: The Collector’s Eye and the Object of Desire are priced at £3. Live prices and availability are shown on Fixr.

The forecast for To Have & To Hold: The Collector’s Eye and the Object of Desire is Partly cloudy · 12°C.

Yes — hotels within walking distance of St. Hilda's College can be compared using the accommodation search further down this page.

Tickets for To Have & To Hold: The Collector’s Eye and the Object of Desire can be booked via Fixr using the "Check Tickets & Live Prices" button on this page, which opens the official booking site in a new tab.

Price

£3

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