A connoisseur is a person who has expert knowledge of something, especially an art, food, or drink, and is qualified to judge and appreciate its quality. They are individuals who have a fine appreciation for something, often through study and interest, and can identify subtleties that others may not. Connoisseurs can be found in various fields, including the fine arts, gastronomy, wine, coffee, tea, and many other products whose consumption can be pleasing to the senses. In the art trade, expert connoisseurship remains a crucial skill for the identification and attribution to individual artists of works by the style and technique, where documentary evidence of provenance is lacking. However, in many areas, the term now has an air of pretension and may be used in a partly ironic sense. Some synonyms for connoisseur include expert, authority, specialist, and savant.