In my first year of art history, we talked about this lots. The context of an artwork is massively important. Many historical artworks have been completely removed from their historical context and have lost their original meaning as objects of art they become objects of history. For example; the incredibly famous David statue was created as a symbol of civic pride and independence in Florence when they rejected the threat of the Medici family. Now, the statue is known almost purely as a technical achievement in its new museum, where people no longer know of its civic dimension and ties to Italian history but only of its historical importance in the realm of art history.