It is uncontroversial that the content of some paintings can serve as historical evidence. Holbein’s paintings of the English court provide evidence of, for example, clothing styles of the period. Whether a particular painting is reliable in this respect will be a matter of historical inquiry into that particular painting. Was there a particular mode of dress that was worn only when sitting for paintings? Did the painter have a reason to misrepresent his subjects? No issues are raised here that do not apply quite generally to historical enquiry into primary sources.
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Matravers, D. (2007). Pictures, Knowledge, and Power: The Case of T. J. Clark. In: Kieran, M., Lopes, D.M. (eds) Knowing Art. Philosophical Studies Series, vol 107. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5265-1_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5265-1_2
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