The latest research, news, and reviews from the world of Medieval Art History
Join Yale for their up-coming Lectures in Late Antique and Byzantine Art and Architecture series. In this online lecture, Dr Cécile Morrisson (CNRS and Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres) presents ‘Auro, argento, aere perennius: Byzantine Art in & through Coins 4th–15th Centuries’.
Respondent: Benjamin Dieter R. Hellings, Yale
This event is free, but you must register in advance here.
The applicant shall conduct research on the manuscript and literary culture of Ethiopia in the frame of the project “Demarginalizing medieval Africa: Images, texts, and identity in early Solomonic Ethiopia (1270-1527)”. The project intends to shed new light on the art, history, and culture of the Ethiopian Empire during a period going from the rise of a new dynasty which claimed to descend from the biblical King Solomon in 1270 to its near collapse in 1527, through a series of collaborations with libraries and institutions across the world, and to set up a platform for exchange between scholars working on the history of manuscript illumination – with a particular focus on the Oriental Orthodox traditions of the Armenian, Coptic, and the Syriac worlds – and on the Christian arts of Ethiopia and Eritrea.
For more details on the project, visit their website. Go to the University of Hamburg website for the specification, applicant requirements, and details of how to apply.
A two-day free Zoom conference to celebrate recent excavations at the medieval palace of Clarendon, Wiltshire.
Dubbed ‘the most important medieval secular building in Wiltshire’, the medieval royal palace of Clarendon is a unique time capsule, occupied from the Norman Conquest but abandoned by 1500.
This conference will showcase some results of the first truly archaeological and scientific modern exploratory excavations, which took place in June-July 2019 enabled by Historic England & resourced by the Heritage Fund.
This event is free but booking for the conference is essential.
Each day of the conference must be booked separately.
Chair: Mandy Richardson
09.30-10.00 Cindy Wood. ‘Weeding and Writing: the work of Friends of Clarendon Palace’
10.00-10.30 Tom James. ‘Clarendon: Why Another Dig?’
10.30-10.40 BREAK
10.40-11.10 James Wright. ‘Parallels at King’s Clipstone’
11.10-11.40 Lorraine Mepham. ‘Clarendon’s Pottery and Other Ceramic Finds’
11.40-12.10 Chris Woolgar. ‘Feasting and the elite in late medieval England’
Booking for Day 1 via Eventbrite
Chair: Cindy Wood
09.30-10.00 Jamie Armstrong. ‘Excavations at Clarendon Palace, 2019’
10.00-10.30 Naomi Sykes. ‘Excavations 2019: The animal bones’
10.30-10.40 BREAK
10.40-11.10 Mandy Richardson. ‘Leaps & bounds: hunting in Clarendon Forest and Park’
11.10-11.40 Mary South. ‘Medieval merriment at Clarendon and elsewhere’
11.40-12.00 Tom James. Summing up and close.
Booking for Day 2 via Eventbrite
This book explores why Ethiopian kings pursued long-distance diplomatic contacts with Latin Europe in the late Middle Ages. It traces the history of more than a dozen embassies dispatched to the Latin West by the kings of Solomonic Ethiopia, a powerful Christian kingdom in the medieval Horn of Africa. Drawing on sources from Europe, Ethiopia, and Egypt, it examines the Ethiopian kings’ motivations for sending out their missions in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries – and argues that a desire to acquire religious treasures and foreign artisans drove this early intercontinental diplomacy. Moreover, the Ethiopian initiation of contacts with the distant Christian sphere of Latin Europe appears to have been intimately connected to a local political agenda of building monumental ecclesiastical architecture in the North-East African highlands, and asserted the Ethiopian rulers’ claim of universal kingship and rightful descent from the biblical king Solomon. Shedding new light on the self-identity of a late medieval African dynasty at the height of its power, this book challenges conventional narratives of African-European encounters on the eve of the so-called ‘Age of Exploration’.
Verena Krebs is Professor for Medieval Cultural Realms and their Entanglements at the Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, where she also co-directs the Bochum Centre for Mediterranean Studies. She holds a bi-national PhD from the universities of Konstanz, Germany, and Mekelle, Ethiopia; her primary research focus is on the late medieval Solomonic Kingdom of Ethiopia and its connections to the wider Mediterranean region.
Medieval Ethiopian Kingship, Craft, and Diplomacy with Latin Europe is published by Palgrave MacMillan.
The College of Arts and Humanities, University College Dublin, Ireland, is pleased to announce a generously funded Ph.D. studentship specialising in: The early medieval northwest Atlantic region (medieval Ireland, Wales, Anglo-Saxon England, or Iceland) which will be supervised by Dr Lindy Brady, Assistant Professor in Early Medieval Insular History and recently appointed Ad Astra Fellow at the School of History (https://people.ucd.ie/lindy.brady).
Deadline: 30 April 2021 by email to Lindy.Brady@ucd.ie
The studentships are open to EU and non-EU candidates and are for a maximum of four years, renewable each year, subject to satisfactory progress. The award includes full tuition fee waiver, a PhD stipend of €18,000 per annum, and €4,000 per annum towards research costs of the Ph.D. We anticipate that the successful candidate will start in September 2021.
Please submit the following application materials by email:
The Selection Panel will shortlist candidates for interview, likely to take place in May. Successful applicants will be informed by email.
For the application procedure please see the relevant school guidelines below. The outcome of this competition will be communicated directly to all applicants.
Specialisation: Early medieval insular history (medieval Ireland, Wales, Anglo-Saxon England, or Iceland)
Proposals for a Ph.D. project in the history of the early medieval northwest Atlantic region are welcomed, specialising in one or more of medieval Ireland, Wales, Anglo-Saxon England, or Iceland; including proposals which take a comparative, transnational or multilingual approach to the history of the region.
The candidate will have access to a €4,000 research budget for archival research in relevant collections abroad or related research expenses.
The UCD School of History is one of Europe’s premier history programs and offers a vibrant research community across junior and senior levels and is well-connected through the School of History’s active engagement with international partners and a broad array of UCD research centres and institutes.
Interdisciplinary work is welcomed, and candidates from all relevant areas of medieval studies are encouraged to apply.
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 Department of Künste, Medien, Philosophie at the Universität Basel. Her interdisciplinary research interests and objects of study range widely but are anchored in a deep interest in how the material conditions of life shape possibilities for thought, imagination, and action. Her first book, Translating Truth: Ambitious Images and Religious Knowledge in Late Medieval France and England (Yale, 2011), was awarded a Medieval Academy of America Book Subvention and short-listed for the ACE/Mercer’s International Book Award.
The Martindale Lecture, organised in honour of the late Professor Andrew Martindale, has run in the Department of Art History and World Art Studies at the University of East Anglia since 1998, and invites a distinguished speaker in medieval and early modern art history to give a talk on their work.
We would normally look forward to welcoming attendees in Norwich, but this year the event is going to be held online, followed by a virtual reception using Wonder. A link to access the talk online will be circulated to registered attendees 1 day before the event.
This event is online, free, and all are welcome! Please register here. For further queries please contact: j.hartnell@uea.ac.uk
The journal I Quaderni del Mediae Aetatis Sodalicium (M.Ae.S) is opening a call for scientific contributions in view of the publication of its 19th issue, scheduled for 30 November 2021.
The journal, founded in 1998, is hosted by the AlmaDL Journals service, the digital publication system for peer-reviewed journals of the University of Bologna. It therefore guarantees the utilisation of a double blind peer-review system and of an Open Access policy, which contributes to the dissemination of scientific debate and knowledge.
The main focus of the journal is the period ca. 400-1500 A. D. It is an interdisciplinary publication accepting contributions from a variety of methodological approaches (including, but not limited to history, art history, literary studies, anthropology, philology, gender studies, etc.). Conscious of the importance of a scholarly debate that transcends national boundaries, the journal accepts contributions in Italian, English, French and Spanish.
For the upcoming issue, the Editorial Board and the Scientific Committee are particularly interested in articles that pay special attention to the history of women in the urban environment. Articles that fall into this category will be published in a special section devoted to the “City of Women in the Middle Ages”. However, we would like to stress that the journal has a fully generalist scope and therefore also welcomes contributions on other topics.
We invite you to send your scientific contributions (articles or book reviews) by 30 July 2021.
The procedures and editorial guidelines for sending your proposal can be found at https://maes.unibo.it/about/submissions. Please be aware that contributions that do not respect these guidelines will not be considered.
If you have any questions, contact us at: maes@unibo.it
“Textures of Sacred Scripture. Materials and Semantics of Sacred Book Ornament in the Western Middle Ages, 780-1300 (https://textures-of-scripture.ch)” is a research project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation at the Chair of Medieval Art History at the University of Zurich. We invite paper proposals for a two-day workshop on purple ornament in medieval manuscripts, scheduled to take place in Zurich on 25 and 26 November 2021.
Recent advances in the technical analysis of purple colorants have spurred new interest in the aesthetics of purple ornament in medieval manuscripts. This most prestigious embellishment associated with imperial splendor underwent stunning transformations between the 8th and the 11th century. Purple dyes (mostly produced from lichens) were not only used to color the entire parchment surfaces of sacred books, but purple colorants were also used selectively to highlight specific texts, pages and miniatures corresponding to the content, topology, imagery, and script of individual manuscripts. Various techniques and methods were employed to create multi-sensory purple textures, combining shades of purple from red to dark blue and evoking different purple-colored materials such as silks and porphyry.
The workshop welcomes proposals that consider the whole range of these aesthetic possibilities and analyze their specific contexts and semantics throughout the Middle Ages, with a special focus on Carolingian and Ottonian manuscripts. Broader theoretical approaches are also welcome. Topics of particular interest are:
Speaking time for each paper is 30 minutes (followed by 20 minutes for discussion). The conference languages are English, German, French and Italian. Submissions should include the title and an abstract (max. 300 words) as well as the name, contact information and short CV of the speaker. Proposals should be submitted to thomas.rainer@uzh.ch by 30 April 2021.
The confirmation of accepted papers will be announced by 15 May 2021. The workshop is currently planned as an in-person meeting. Travel expenses and on-site accommodation of all speakers will be covered.
Join Canterbury Cathedral and the University of Kent for three days of exciting papers, 28-30th April 2021, examining the history, visual and material culture, archaeology, architecture, literature, liturgy, musicology, and reception of Becket’s cult at Canterbury, across Europe and beyond, with keynote papers by Rachel Koopmans, Paul Webster, and Alec Ryrie. Be guided by experts on a series of Virtual Tours taking you right into the heart of Canterbury Cathedral and the surrounding area, allowing you to get up close with some of the stunning architecture and artefacts from Becket’s long and storied history.
The first day will focus on the art and architecture of the cathedral, with an examination of the material culture related to Becket and the growth of his cult alongside the developing tensions between Church and State. It will consider the building- its fabric, floors, stained glass windows, shrines, as well as graffiti. It will also look at reliquaries, ampullae and pilgrim badges.
The second day will focus on perceptions of Becket – including studies in diplomacy, liturgy, musicology, and hagiography – examining aspects of local and ‘global’ devotion. These papers will also examine various ways in which Becket was ‘pictured’ in the medieval church.
The third day will explore the spread and diffusion of the cult of Becket across Europe and beyond, retracing its development until its destruction during the English Reformation.
Hashtags & Social Media
We encourage you to Tweet about the conference beforehand as well as while it’s happening. Please remember to tag @no1Cathedral and use the #BecketConference hashtag in your posts.
Practical Information
All tickets are sold through Eventbrite. You will receive an email confirmation of your order after booking your tickets. One week before the conference you will receive an email containing a link and instructions on how to join the conference, as well as a link to the Virtual Tours to watch them at your leisure.
Virtual Tours
Find the PDF conference programme here. Get your tickets here!
9.00 – 9.15 — Zoom opens for all delegates
9.15 – 9.30 — Welcome from Canterbury Cathedral
9.30 – 11.10 — Session 1: Breaking new ground: New archaeological discoveries at Canterbury Cathedral, Chaired by Sheila Sweetinburgh
11.10 – 11.30 — Comfort Break
11.30 – 13.10 — Session 2: Souvenirs of devotion: Badges, ampullae, & châsses, Chaired by Lloyd de Beer
13.10 – 14.00 — Lunch Break
14.00 – 15.40 — Session 3: Becket, the Church, and the State, Chaired by Danica Summerlin
15.40 – 16.00 — Comfort Break
16.00 – 17.40 — Session 4: New visualisations, Chaired by Emily Guerry
17.40 – 18.00 – Comfort Break
18.00 – 19.00 – Keynote 1: Rachel Koopmans, ‘The First Days of Miracles: Becket’s Cult in 1171’ , Introduction: Emily Guerry
9.00 – 9.15 — Zoom opens for all delegates
9.15 – 9.30 — Welcome from Canterbury Cathedral
9.30 – 11.00 — Session 5: Perceptions of Becket: From diplomacy to mythology, Chaired by Barbara Bombi
11.10 – 11.30 — Comfort Break
11.30 – 13.10 – Session 6: Devotion to Becket: From local to global, Chaired by David Rundle
13.10 – 14.00 — Lunch Break
14.00 – 15.40 — Session 7: Picturing Becket in the medieval church, Chaired by Cassandra Harrington
15.40 – 16.00 — Comfort Break
16.00 – 17.00 — Keynote 2: Paul Webster, ‘What happened in 1220? Saint, Archbishop, King, and Legacy’, Introduction: Louise Wilkinson
9.00 – 9.15 — Zoom opens for all delegates
9.15 – 9.30 — Welcome from Canterbury Cathedral
9.30 – 11.10 – Session 8: The spread of Becket’s cult I, Chaired by Emily Guerry
11.10 – 11.30 — Comfort Break
11.30 – 13.10 – Session 9: The spread of Becket’s cult II, Chaired by Barbara Bombi
13.10 – 14.00 – Lunch Break
14.00 – 15.40 – Session 10: The making and un-making of Becket’s cult, Chaired by John Jenskins
15.40 – 16.00 –Comfort Break
16.00 – 17.00 – Keynote 3: Alec Ryrie, ‘Henry VIII, the Liberties of the Church of England and the Second Martyrdom of Thomas Becket’, Introduction: Kenneth Fincham
In Central Europe, the year of 1945 brought about not only new borders but also a new socio-political system, accelerated modernisation, and the promise of a “brave new world” which was to be founded on the ruins of the past. However, the ideological drive towards the future was supplemented by a turn towards a specifically understood distant history, often phantasmagorical and imagined. Interestingly, it was the Christian Middle Ages, with its feudal system, visual culture, and its traces in the form of medieval artefacts and architecture, that gained an important role in establishing the communist and socialist utopia. It was not the first time that the Middle Ages had become the subject of medievalist practices and ideologies in Central Europe, including creative adaptations, programmatic redefinitions, nationalist appropriations, and ideological revaluations. “Rediscovery” of the Middle Ages in the Long Eighteenth Century and the appreciation of the medieval legacy, especially of the Gothic, followed by the formation of nationalisms and the negotiation of collective national identities in the 19th century, already ensured the Middle Ages a permanent place in the historical and national discourses of many states and national communities in Central Europe.
The latest issue of Ikonotheka intends to trace the emergence of new interpretations and medievalist imagery over the last several decades, as well as the post-WWII fate of medieval art and architecture in Central Europe. We also wish to address a variety of medievalist discourses that emerged after 1945: particularly their origins, uses, reception, and legacy. In addition to investigating the post-WWII politics and aesthetics of heterogeneous medievalist narratives, we also hope to critically reflect on the enduring appeal of the Middle Ages – from the late 1940s until today.
Ikonotheka invites contributions addressing the issue of medievalisms in Central Europe after 1945. Possible topics may include:
DEADLINES for the abstract: 30 April 2021 (notification by 15 May 2021) for the article: 30 September 2021
Abstracts should be sent to ikonotheka@uw.edu.pl
SUBMISSION | Guidelines and Dates Deadline for the abstracts: 30 April 2021, with successful notification by 15 May 2021. Abstracts should not exceed 300 words and include the author’s short biographical note with current academic affiliation (up to 150 words). The deadline for the final contributions will be 30 September 2021. Publication date: early 2022 The expected length of individual contributions is approximately 6000 words. All submitted papers will be subject to a double-blind peer review process.
ABOUT THE JOURNAL Ikonotheka is a journal of the Institute of Art History University of Warsaw on the history and theory of the arts. Ikonotheka was founded in 1987 by Professor Jan Białostocki, with the first volume published in 1990. The journal seeks to demonstrate a wide range of approaches to the study of the art of the past and of the contemporary artistic practice. It encourages its authors to employ different methodologies and welcomes investigations into previously understudied art historical topics. The authors are invited to consider both mainstream and lesser known artists and/or artworks. The journal publishes solely original texts that have not been previously published elsewhere. The journal is annual and undergoes a double-blind peer review, which is carried out both for paper and digital (open access) editions.
For more information, including guidelines for authors visit http://www.ikonotheka.pl
Medieval Art Research