 The contemplation of art as detached from its function allows the historian to view art as autonomous from, or indeed constitutive of, cultural developments.The "Niederländische Briefe" therefore provided the intellectual justification for art history as an autonomous discipline, and indeed Schnaase's next major project was the composition of his monumental "Geschichte der bildenden Künste" ("History of the fine arts").He was able to pursue this project despite his continuing employment as a jurist.