Category Archives: Seminars & Lectures

In the eighth and ninth centuries, Carolingian rulers, intellectuals, and artists pursued a major experiment in worldly and spiritual economics. This lecture examines how a series of Carolingian works of art and artifacts crafted—often quite polemically—a vision of the economy of salvation, defined by the commensuration of aesthetic, material, and sacred value. Aden Kumler is Professor in the DepartmentContinue reading “Online Lecture: ‘“Who Was Richer In Glittering Wealth Than Solomon?”: Carolingian Values’ with Aden Kumler, 2021 Martindale Lecture, 13 May 2021, 17.00 BST”

What do animated medieval crucifixes have to do with Greggs’ vegan sausage rolls? In this illustrated talk, medievalist Kathryn Rudy considers diverse approaches to fake blood and flesh. Ideas to be discussed include jousting vegetarians, shepherdess pies, and medieval roasts served under a layer of feathers. Please register to receive the event link (MS Teams).

Since the Ancient World, engagement with visual art has recognized that perception has tremendous powers to reconfigure ‘stuff’ imaginatively. Aquinas, for example, stated that it is possible to separate representation and configuration. Later aestheticians, informed by analytical philosophy, referred to this capacity as ‘aspectual seeing’: seeing something ‘in’ a configuration, or more radically seeing theContinue reading “Online Lecture: ‘Fiction and Motivation in Medieval Art’ with Paul Binski, University of Michigan, 24 March 2021 14:30- 16:00 (ET)”

The Maius Workshop welcomes Dr Matthew Westerby to discuss his latest research via Zoom on the 23rd March at 17.00 (GMT). This work-in-progress talk will present some new findings on the iconography and provenance of a series of cuttings from a richly illuminated choir book. Dr Westerby argues that the parent manuscript, a Gradual, wasContinue reading “Online Lecture: ‘Reimagining a Hieronymite Choir Book from Seville’ with Matthew Westerby, The Maius Workshop, 23 March 2021, 17.00 GMT”