The plural of conoscente; a group of people with expert knowledge and refined taste in a particular field like art or literature.
From Italian 'conoscenti,' the plural form of 'conoscente,' from Latin 'cognoscere.' This Italian plural was adopted directly into English to refer to circles of experts and tastemakers.
The 'conoscenti' of 18th-century Europe were the gatekeepers of taste—these experts decided what was beautiful, valuable, and worth collecting, giving them enormous cultural power.
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