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 Michele Bacci (University of Fribourg) presents ‘The Nativity Church in Bethlehem in the Light of Recent Restorations’.
Respondent: Ariel Fine, Yale
This event is free, but you must register in advance here.
Society for the Medieval Mediterranean offers grants to assist postgraduate students and early-career researchers with the financing of small conferences, symposia and workshops.
This grant was established in 2017 by Professor Simon Barton, former President of the Society for the Medieval Mediterranean. Support for early-career scholars was one of his priorities, as this grant–now dedicated to his memory–suggests.
The proposed research event, organised by the postgraduate or early-career applicant, may include conferences, symposia, workshops and/or outreach/public engagement initiatives/exhibitions, which should align with the aims and scope of the Society. In-person, blended, and online events are all eligible. For online events funds may be used to support the creation of digital resources related to the event and/or to promote inclusivity.
The event should be dedicated to explore any aspects of Mediterranean history and culture from the fifth to the fifteenth centuries C.E.
All events sponsored by the SMM must comply with the SMM Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity policy.
The proposed research activity should be completed by 30th April 2022.
Applicants should be enrolled in a Postgraduate programme (both Masters and PhD programmes are eligible) or should be an Early Career Researcher at the time of submission of their application. Early Career Researchers for the purposes of this grant include those who are within 4 years of the award of their PhD degree and who do not hold a permanent position.
The Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, MA invites applications for a curatorial internship to be held during spring 2021. Under the supervision of the Curator of Collections and Exhibits, the curatorial intern will help reorganize and expand the Center for Icon Studies, a collaborative virtual space for professionals, students, and members of the public who are interested in any aspect of Orthodox icon
studies.
The intern will be involved in all aspects of the project, including the following:
This will be a virtual with a weekly Zoom meeting with the Curator. A final report and PowerPoint presentation will be due at the end of the semester.
For instructions on how to apply, visit the museum’s jobs page.
From University of California Press
Conversion to Islam is a phenomenon of immense significance in human history. At the outset of Islamic rule in the seventh century, Muslims constituted a tiny minority in most areas under their control. But by the beginning of the modern period, they formed the majority in most territories from North Africa to Southeast Asia. Across such diverse lands, peoples, and time periods, conversion was a complex, varied phenomenon. Converts lived in a world of overlapping and competing religious, cultural, social, and familial affiliations, and the effects of turning to Islam played out in every aspect of life. Conversion therefore provides a critical lens for world history, magnifying the constantly evolving array of beliefs, practices, and outlooks that constitute Islam around the globe. This groundbreaking collection of texts, translated from sources in a dozen languages from the seventh to the eighteenth centuries, presents the historical process of conversion to Islam in all its variety and unruly detail, through the eyes of both Muslim and non-Muslim observers.
The University of Edinburgh School of History, Classics and Archaeology is delighted to invite applications from outstanding candidates for a range of PhD scholarships designed to attract the best and brightest candidates to study in Edinburgh.
From the University:
We welcome applications across our full range of research areas in History, Classics and Archaeology, both in areas in which we have long-standing strengths and in areas where we are currently expanding.
History
The size of Edinburgh’s history department, and the breadth of expertise available from our staff, means that we can offer supervision for research projects in a wide array of fields, spanning two millennia and five continents. We have particularly strong research concentrations in Scottish history, American history, Irish history, social and economic history and medieval history. We are also keen to encourage applications from prospective doctoral students in the following research areas:
Classics
We can offer supervision and welcome applications across most of the major areas of Classical studies: Greek and Latin literature and thought, Greek, Roman, Late Antique and Byzantine history, and classical art and archaeology. We are also keen to encourage applications from prospective doctoral students in the following research areas:
Archaeology
Our research interests range from human osteoarchaeology and forensic anthropology to Roman archaeology, early civilisations and urban societies in Europe, the Byzantine world and late antiquity, late hunter-gatherers and the spread of farming in Europe, megalithic monuments, later European prehistory and the archaeology of Scotland. We are also keen to encourage applications from prospective doctoral students in the following research areas:
These PhD scholarships will pay a stipend at the equivalent rate to that offered by the Research Councils of the United Kingdom. Tuition fees at the UK/EU rate will also be paid. Payment will be made in equal monthly instalments for a maximum of three years, subject to satisfactory performance.
Applicants for these awards must:
Applicants must submit a PhD application by 25 January 2021, and a scholarship application for the School Doctoral Award by 4 February 2021.
The first International Workshop on Medieval Epigraphy held in Roda de Isábena (Aragon, Spain) from 15 to 19 September 2021 is opening a call for applications for young scholars working on medieval inscriptions. Successful applicants will be invited to present their research topic in a three-day international seminar aimed at creating dialogues and exchanges of ideas in the field of medieval epigraphy.
Despite the dynamism of editorial initiatives in Europe and the ever-renewed researches on written cultures of the Middle Ages, works on medieval epigraphy still suffer from their small diffusion in the broad panorama of medieval studies. International symposia is this scientific area are very rare and give little space to the presentation of works in progress on medieval inscriptions, especially from Ph.D. candidates and young researchers.
The organization of the first International Workshop on Medieval Epigraphy in 2021 aims to create an opportunity for young scholars to present their work, and to exchange on their investigation and the methodological issues related to the analysis of epigraphic sources. To ensure this space for discussion and constructive debates, the format chosen for this meeting is different from that of symposia and congresses. The Workshop will bring together a community of twelve young researchers, accompanied by four international experts in medieval literacy, for a three-day seminar of extended presentations (one-hour papers followed by a one-hour session of Q&A). Only the abstracts of the presentations are published online to ensure the dissemination of the research topics. Participants and organizers will thus be able to focus on the intellectual debate, the confrontation of experiences, the sharing of methods and the deepening of the historical questions arising from the analysis of medieval inscriptions.
This call for applications is aimed at young scholars (Ph.D. candidates, post-doctoral fellows, ECR who defended their dissertation after 2014) currently engaged in researches on medieval inscriptions regardless of the theme or approach (paleography, technique, linguistics, text analysis, prosopography, iconography, liturgy, literature, archaeology, etc.). To build the conditions for intellectual debates and to contribute to a better knowledge of the written culture of the Middle Ages, we invite the applicants to focus on methodological questions and the anthropological aspects of their research in medieval epigraphy.
The International Workshop on Medieval Epigraphy will take place in Roda de Isábena, a small medieval village in the mountains of Aragon that keeps the largest collection of medieval inscriptions preserved in Europe (with 231 funerary texts). In the heart of the village, participants will experience a collective journey of intellectual sharing, with visits and scientific events, in Roda and the surrounding area.
The organization of the International Workshop on Medieval Epigraphy will cover the candidates’ travel expenses (up to 250 euros), on-site accommodation, meals and all activities. Successful candidates commit to actively participate in debates and exchanges during the seminar, and to provide an extensive abstract of their presentation before the workshop. All the sessions of the seminar will be videorecorded. All sessions will be held in English.
To apply to International Workshop on Medieval Epigraphy, applicants must submit the following documents (in English, French or Spanish) by January 15, 2021 at this email address vincent.debiais@ehess.fr :
– A cover letter describing their ongoing research,
– A one-page resume,
– A presentation of the project for the seminar (max. 500 words).
The application will be reviewed by the Scientific Committee of the International Workshop on Medieval Epigraphy and candidates will be notified of the results by February 1st, 2021.
A Companion to Late Medieval and Early Modern Siena presents chapters by prominent scholars on the powerful commune that birthed a pope, sheltered saints, built banking institutions that have thrived for nearly 1000 years, and nurtured vibrant communities of artists and intellectuals. This multi-disciplinary book, edited by Santa Casciani and Heather Richardson Hayton, redresses scholarly imbalances of the past by introducing early period Siena to a wider audience. Focusing mostly on the 12th to 16th centuries, each chapter explores how the Sienese crafted a distinctive civic identity that remains intact still. Modern readers will find Siena’s responses to plague, political factionalism, and aggression from powerful neighbours particularly relevant.
Contributors are: Mario Ascheri, Saverio Luigi Battente, Elena Brizio, Santa Casciani, Konrad Eisenbichler, Bradley Franco, Fabrizio Nevola, Anna Peterson, Colleen Reardon, Sheri Shaneyfelt, Jane Tylus, Andrea Beth Wenz, Demetrio Yocum.
Introduction, Heather Hayton
Part 1: The City and Commune
1. Siena: the City and its State Throughout Time, Mario Ascheri
2. The Significance of Montaperti, Bradley R. Franco
3. “Per queste cose ognuno sta in santa pace et in concordia”: Understanding Urban Space in Renaissance Siena, Fabrizio Nevola
4. Saint Catherine and Siena, Jane Tylus
Part 2: Art and Religion
5. “Beata quella città della sua patria!”. Siena’s Religious Culture and Carthusian Monasticism, Demetrio S. Yocum
6. The Marian Altarpieces of Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti, Sheri F. Shaneyfelt
7. The Discussion and Transmission of Reformed Religious Beliefs in Early-Modern Siena, Andrea Beth Wenz
8. Bernardino of Siena in the History and Culture of the City of L’Aquila, Santa Casciani
Part 3: Culture and Society
9. Public Health and Hospitals in Medieval Siena before the Black Death, Anna M. Peterson
10. “Sebben che siamo donne …”: Sienese Women in the Troubled Years at the End of the Republic (c.1500–60), Elena Brizio
11. “Sotto un Lauro in corona”: Literate Women in 16th-Century Siena, Konrad Eisenbichler
12. “An Occasion to Banish Melancholy”: Musical Culture in Early Modern Siena, Colleen Reardon
Epilogue: The Foundations of Contemporary Siena
The “Gothic Queen”: the Myth of Siena in the 19th and 20th Centuries, Saverio Luigi Battente
Santa Casciani, Ph.D. (1994, University of Wisconsin, Madison), is Professor of Italian at John Carroll University and founding director of the Bishop Anthony M. Pilla Program, and a Rome program. She has published widely on Michelangelo, Dante, Italian and Italian- American literature, and pedagogy.
Heather Richardson Hayton, Ph.D. (2000, Pennsylvania State University), is an award-winning professor of English and director of the Honors Program at Guilford College. She has published on medieval desire, monstrosity, and various topics in pop culture. She regularly leads a study-abroad program in Siena.
Dumbarton Oaks houses the largest collection of Byzantine lead seals in the world, with approximately 17,000 specimens. Volume 7 of the ongoing series of Dumbarton Oaks catalogues presents a distinct part of the collection: 572 anonymous seals bearing sacred images on both sides. The seals, almost all previously unpublished, are fully illustrated and accompanied by a detailed commentary that provides transcriptions of the identifying sigla. This volume represents the first attempt to analyze this group of seals chronologically and typologically.
The depictions of Christ, the Virgin, and a remarkably wide array of saints and narrative scenes offer rich and untapped material for scholars interested in Byzantine piety and culture. Discernible trends within this body of seals help to track the popularity of various saints and the changes in devotional images over time. The variety of these images, enhanced by reference to examples in other collections, will also enable scholars to compare the renderings of holy figures on lead seals to those appearing in other Byzantine religious images.
The Medieval Studies Program at Cornell University is pleased to announce its thirty-first annual graduate student colloquium (MSSC). The conference will take place on the 26th and the 27th of March, to be held virtually over Zoom.
This year’s colloquium focuses on the theme of movement. Movement denotes the movement of peoples, cultures, thoughts and goods, the migration of plants and of animals. What happens to movement when it is frozen in stone (the swoop of hair across a person’s face in a marble statue)? How does an idea change when it is translated from one language to another? We are interested in movement defined broadly and represented across a range of disciplines.
We invite 20-minute papers that investigate movement in the Middle Ages as defined by/within a range of different disciplines and perspectives. Possible topics may include (but are not limited to):
Preference will be given to papers from underrepresented backgrounds and disciplines. We strongly encourage submissions that expand these themes and categories of inquiry beyond Christian, Western European contexts. We invite submissions in all disciplines allied to Medieval Studies, including Asian Studies, Africana Studies, Critical Race Studies, Near Eastern Studies, literature, history, the history of art, archaeology, philosophy, classics, theology, and others. The deadline for submission is 15 January 2021.
The Medieval Iberian Treasury in the Context of Cultural Interchange—expanded beyond the special issue of Medieval Encounters from which it was drawn—centers on the magnificent treasury of San Isidoro de León to address wider questions about the meanings of cross-cultural luxury goods in royal-ecclesiastical settings during the central Middle Ages. Now fully open access and with an updated introduction to ongoing research, an additional chapter, composite bibliographies, and indices, this multidisciplinary volume opens fresh ways into the investigation of medieval objects and textiles through historical, art historical, and technical analyses. Carbon-14 dating, iconography, and social history are among the methods applied to material and textual evidence, together shining new light on the display of rulership in medieval Iberia.
Contributors are Ana Cabrera Lafuente, María Judith Feliciano, Julie A. Harris, Jitske Jasperse, Therese Martin, Pamela A. Patton, Ana Rodríguez, and Nancy L. Wicker.
1. Beyond the Treasury of San Isidoro: a Tale of Two Projects, Therese Martin
2. Caskets of Silver and Ivory from Diverse Parts of the World: Strategic Collecting for an Iberian Treasury, Therese Martin
3. Narrating the Treasury: What Medieval Iberian Chronicles Choose to Recount about Luxury Objects, Ana Rodríguez
4. Textiles from the Museum of San Isidoro (León): New Evidence for Re-Evaluating Their Chronology and Provenance, Ana Cabrera Lafuente
5. Sovereign, Saint, and City: Honor and Reuse of Textiles in the Treasury of San Isidoro (Leon), María Judith Feliciano
6. Between León and the Levant: the Infanta Sancha’s Altar as Material Evidence for Medieval History, Jitske Jasperse
7. Demons and Diversity in León, Pamela A. Patton
8. Jews, Real And Imagined, at San Isidoro De León and Beyond, Julie A. Harris
9. The Scandinavian Container at San Isidoro, León, in the Context of Viking Art and Society, Nancy L. Wicker
Medieval Art Research