Medieval Art Research

Call for Papers: Knowing Nature in Medieval & Early Modern Worlds (College Park, 24-25 Oct 14)

University of Maryland, College Park, March 25, 2014
Deadline: 01.05.2014

The Graduate Field Committee in Medieval & Early Modern Studies at University of Maryland, College Park — an interdisciplinary group of faculty and graduate students — is excited to announce its call for this year’s conference:

Knowing Nature in the Medieval & Early Modern Worlds, Oct. 24-25, 2014

Nature, according to the critic Raymond Williams, is quite possibly “the most difficult word in the English language.” The genealogy of nature’s complexities—semantic, philological, epistemological, ontological—are the subject of this two-day conference that seeks to bring into dialogue historians of science, philosophy, art, and literature. How did early writers and artists and other thinkers know and encounter nature? What practices made nature legible? What ethics were thought to arise out of the environment? This event considers a wide variety of cultural productions in the medieval and early modern periods. By what metaphors and strategies did pre-modern people represent the sensible world of matter? This event considers a wide variety of cultural productions in the medieval and early modern periods, seeking to rethink the relation between fields of knowledge and to bridge the widening gap between the humanities and the sciences in our own universities.

Topics may include:
the analogies through which nature is known
the long history of environmentalism

materiality and its discontents
encyclopedism
natural occurrences, wonders, or cataclysms
landscapes and visual culture
natural and medical histories
histories of the body, human and otherwise
the relationship between the nature and the supernatural

Confirmed speakers include Jeffrey Cohen (GWU), Drew Daniel (Johns Hopkins), Alan Mikhail (Yale), David Norbrook (Merton College, Oxford), Stephen Campbell (Johns Hopkins), Joanna Picciotto (UC Berkeley), David Simon (Chicago), Michael Witmore (Folger Shakespeare Library), Jessica Wolfe (UNC Chapel Hill), and Michael Sappol (National Library of Medicine).

Please submit paper proposals of 250 words to knowingnature@umd.edu by May 1.
Best, Chris Maffuccio

*
Christine Maffuccio
Ph.D. Candidate, Department of English, University of Maryland
Graduate Assistant, UMD’s Graduate Field Committee in Medieval & Early Modern Studies
http://www.arhu.umd.edu/memum
http://www.facebook.com/memsum

Workshop: The Mosaics of Thessaloniki Revisited (London, 30 May 2014)

A One-Day Workshop at the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London

Rare Book School, Charlottesville, Virginia, June 2014

This summer Rare Book School is excited to offer four courses designed specifically to advance the research of scholars in medieval and renaissance studies.

*Introduction to Paleography, 800-1500* introduces students to the book-based scripts and the text typologies of the western European Middle Ages and the Renaissance, from Caroline minuscule through early print. Taught by Consuelo Dutschke, Curator of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts at Columbia University, this course will provide students with
the basic tools for working with medieval codices and enable them to read the texts and to recognize categories of script. This course will be taught in Charlottesville June 9-13. See the course website<http://www.rarebookschool.org/courses/manuscripts/m10/>for a complete description.

During the same week, June 9-13, RBS will offer a course in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on *The Medieval Manuscript in the 21st Century*. Taught by Will Noel, Director of the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and Dot Porter, Curator of Digital Research Services at the Schoenberg Institute, this course guides students of both the digital humanities and manuscript studies through the concepts and realities of working with medieval manuscripts in the twenty-first century. By considering critical issues relating to using medieval manuscripts in a digital world, students will engage the idea of “digital surrogacy” and explore the implications of representing physical objects in digital forms. See the course website <http://www.rarebookschool.org/courses/manuscripts/m95/>for a complete description.

Students interested in manuscript studies may also consider *Introduction to Western Codicology*, taught by Albert Derolez, Emeritus Professor at the Free Universities of Brussels and author of *The Palaeography of Gothic Manuscript Books from the Twelfth to the Early Sixteenth Century* (Cambridge University Press, 2006). This course surveys the development of the *physical features* of manuscript books. By teaching students to examine manuscript
materials, structure, and layout, among other elements, this course goes beyond traditional research on the study of script and illumination and introduces students to alternate methods of uncovering information in a codex. To give students the widest possible exposure to a variety of manuscripts of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the course will take a field trip to libraries in Washington, DC. This course will be taught in Charlottesville 16-20 June. See the course website<http://www.rarebookschool.org/courses/manuscripts/m20/>for a
complete description.

For students familiar with basic skills in paleography, codicology, and the history of the hand-produced book, RBS is offering *Advanced Seminar: Medieval Manuscript Studies*, taught by Barbara A. Shailor, Deputy Provost for the Arts at Yale University and former Director of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale. Students will spend the week analyzing and discussing fragments and codices at the Beinecke Library. In addition to transcribing difficult scripts, students will have the opportunity to attend workshops by Yale conservators on topics such as inks and pigments, parchment, paper, watermark identification, and collation. This course will be taught in New Haven, Connecticut during the week of July 28-August 1. See the course website
<http://www.rarebookschool.org/courses/manuscripts/m90/>for a complete description.

Rare Book School is currently receiving applications for this course–and all other–courses. To apply, please visit please myRBS<http://cacsprd.web.virginia.edu/RBSApp> to set up your account and submit your application materials. For general information on the application process, visit the RBS Application & Admissions <http://www.rarebookschool.org/applications/> page.

Please write to rbs_programs@virginia.edu if you have any questions about either course or the application process.

Call for Papers: Workshop: La cathédrale transfigurée (Paris, 13-16 May 14)

Paris, Deutsches Forum für Kunstgeschichte /Rouen, Musée des Beaux-Arts, 13. – 16.05.2014
Eingabeschluss: 15.04.2014

Workshop für NachwuchswissenschaftlerInnen im Rahmen des Kolloquiums « La cathédrale transfigurée. Regards, mythes, conflits »
Paris, Deutsches Forum für Kunstgeschichte, 13. Mai 2014
Rouen, Musée des Beaux-Arts, 14. – 15. Mai 2014

Anlässlich des deutsch-französischen Ausstellungprojekts „Cathédrales“ (Musée des Beaux-Arts, Rouen/Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud, Köln) organisiert das Deutsche Forum für Kunstgeschichte in Paris in Zusammenarbeit mit der Universität Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense, dem Musée des Beaux-Arts in Rouen und der Universität Rouen vom 13. bis zum 16. Mai 2014 eine internationale Tagung in Paris und Rouen sowie ein Treffen deutscher und französischer NachwuchswissenschaftlerInnen.

Im Zentrum der Veranstaltung steht die gotische Kathedrale als Bildmotiv, deren Aneignungsformen in Romantik, Impressionismus und Moderne und in den jeweiligen nationalen Diskursen. Ein besonderer Themenschwerpunkt gilt im Jahr des Weltkriegsgedenkens der spezifischen Rolle der Kathedralbauten im Ersten Weltkrieg.
MasterstudentInnen, DoktorandInnen und Post-DoktorandInnen, deren Arbeiten sich mit dem Bild der Kathedrale und ihrer Rezeption im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert beschäftigen, sind eingeladen am Workshop für NachwuchswissenschaftlerInnen teilzunehmen, der parallel zum Kolloquium stattfinden soll. Als Beitrag ist ein Kurzvortrag von 15 Minuten erwünscht oder die Respondenz zu einer der Tagungssektionen.
Die Unterkunft in Rouen wird durch die Universität gestellt, für Übernachtung und Anreise nach Paris werden für TeilnehmerInnen von deutschen/deutschsprachigen Universitäten Kosten bis zu einer Höhe von 250 Euro vom DFK übernommen. Bewerbungen mit einer Projektskizze (maximal 2.000 Zeichen) und kurzem Lebenslauf senden Sie bitte bis zum 15. April 2014 an folgende Adresse:
stipendien@dt-forum.org

Bitte senden Sie Ihre Unterlagen möglichst in einem einzigen PDF/Dokument und überschreiten Sie bei Ihrer Mail samt Anlage die Größe von 10 MB nicht.

Call for Papers: Medieval Materiality: A Conference on the Life and Afterlife of Things (23-25 October 2014, University of Colorado)

Deadline: 1 May

University of Colorado at Boulder
Center for Medieval and Early Modern Studies (CMEMS)

Recent work in medieval history and art history has focused on materiality, specifically the object-ness of things – relics, cloth, books, and other materials – that survive from the medieval past. At the same time, scholars of medieval literature have approached materiality by reinvigorating manuscript studies and by incorporating theories of digital media and networks. This interdisciplinary conference invites scholars in all fields to come together to ask two main questions: What does medieval materiality consist of? And what are the ramifications of such a focus for medieval studies more broadly?

We invite abstracts for papers (20-minutes in length) along the following themes: the relationship between objects and their social environments, between objects and spiritual power, the literal and the spiritual in biblical exegesis, between descriptions of objects, theories of ekphrasis, and the literal presence of things, and between medieval and post-modern approaches to “things,” as well as gendered things, collecting and collections, networks of trade and travel, objects of desire and emotions and things. We also welcome papers that investigate the ethical and political consequences of a focus on materiality – both for medieval thinkers and for ourselves.

Abstracts (of 300 words) accompanied by a brief biographical paragraph should be sent by May 1, 2014 to: Anne E. Lester, Department of History, alester@colorado.edu OR Katie Little, Department of English, Katherine.C.Little@colorado.edu. More information can be found on the CMEMS website.

Plenary Speakers include:

Jessica Brantley (Associate Professor, English, Yale University)
Caroline Walker Bynum (Professor Emerita, History, Columbia University/Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ),
Aden Kumler (Associate Professor, Art History, University of Chicago)
Daniel Lord Smail (Professor, History, Harvard University).
Sponsored by: English Language Notes, President’s Fund for the Humanities, Center for the Humanities and the Arts, Center for Western Civilization, Arts and Sciences’ Fund for Excellence, and the Center for Medieval and Early Modern Studies.

About Material Collective
‘As a collaborative of students of visual culture, Material Collective seeks to foster a safe space for alternative ways of thinking about objects. We strive for transparency in our practice, and we encourage the same in our institutional surroundings.’

Resource: Digitization of Vatican Library

The Vatican library began a project on Thursday to digitize thousands of historical manuscripts, dating from the origins of the Church to the 20th century, and make them available online.

Working with the Japanese technology group NTT Data, the library intends to scan and digitally archive about 1.5 million pages from the library’s collection of manuscripts, which comprises some 82,000 items and 41 million pages. The initial project will take four years and may be extended.

Link to the Vatican Library

News report on the project

Call for Papers: ‘Flaws’, London, 29th May 2014

‘Flaws’ – Medieval Research Conference
London Medieval Graduate Network, UCL, 29th May 2014.

The London Medieval Graduate Network welcomes submissions for research papers on “Flaws” for its 2014 annual conference, hosted by UCL. This inter-disciplinary conference examines how deliberate or mistaken defects, errors, limitations and imperfections have been perceived across the medieval period.

Flaws are something all researchers have to deal with; from flaws in our source material, to flaws in the approaches and theories we use. The late twentieth century witnessed a concerted effort from within the medieval discipline to challenge not only our theoretical approaches but also the validity of our disciplines themselves. These challenges encouraged researchers to be aware of the limitations of their evidence as well as mindful of the choices they make within their own research. As postgraduates and young researchers we are more aware than ever of the flaws which we face. We hope that this theme will give scope for the discussion of newer areas of medieval study, such as considerations of materiality, the built environment and psychological analyses, whilst also allow us to consider new approaches to more traditional discussions of the text, narratives and institutions.

Professor John Arnold (Birbeck) will give a keynote talk entitled, ‘Flaws in Medieval Belief.’

LMGN seeks to promote conversations and collaborations among medievalists in and beyond the London network. Following the success of last year’s conference, “In the Beginning”, hosted by King’s College, we are excited to invite proposals for 20-minute papers in any aspect of our theme of flaws. Submissions are open to postgraduate and early career researchers working in all medieval periods or academic disciplines.

Topics could include but are not limited to:

Flaws in medieval source material
Considerations of what flaws are and whether our conception of them changes over time
- Lost, damaged and concealed objects
- Imperfections in the built environment
- Flaws in our approach to the medieval past
- Sin, erring and the dichotomies of right and wrong
  - Abstractions of behaviour from what was considered ‘ideal’ or ‘correct’
  - Flaws in government and the consequences of ‘bad rule’
  - Flaws in religious understanding and thinking
  - Punishments for perceived flaws
  - How legal systems or authorities address and correct flaws and imperfections in behaviour
- Flaws and imperfections in art, manuscript illustrations and marginalia
- Differentiating creativity and originality from error
- Intentionality of flaws and errors
- False attributions, past and present, of sources, influences or textual authorities
- Abstracts should be no more than 300 words. Please send your abstract together with a short biographical note to londonmedgradnetwork@gmail.com by March 24^th 2014.

Upcoming Event: The Healing Arts across the Mediterranean (Rutgers University, 28 March)

The Healing Arts Across The Mediterranean: Communities, Knowledge And Practices, a conference sponsored by SAS, the Program in Medieval Studies, the Program in Early Modern Studies, the Center for Cultural Analysis, the Centers for Global Advancement and International Affairs, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the Rutgers Center for Historical Analysis, the Department of History at Rutgers-Newark, and the Medical Humanities Working Group at CCA and RWJMS with take place on: Friday March 28, 2014, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. at
The Teleconference Lecture Hall – Alexander Library, 169 College Avenue New Brunswick, NJ

The Healing Arts Across the Mediterranean examines theories and practices of healing in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period. An emphasis will be placed on tracing the continuities and evolution in knowledge to specific sites, texts and material artifacts. The event is free and open to all.

9:00 Coffee And Welcome
9:30-11:30 Knowledge
• Chair: Monica H. Green, Arizona State University
• Medicine And The Political Body: A Metaphor At The Crossroads Of Four Civilizations, Glen Cooper, Brigham Young University
• Medical And Religious Discussions Of Generation In The Islamic World, 1200–1500, Nahyan Fancy, Depauw University
• Healing Bodies: The Conceptualization Of Medicine In Ottoman Alchemical Texts, 1500-1800, Tuna Artun, Rutgers-New Brunswick
1:00-2:45 Practices
Chair: Nahyan Fancy, Depauw University
• Medical And Spiritual Healing In Medieval Miracle Stories, Jennifer Edwards, Manhattan College
• Erecting Sex: Hermaphrodites And The Science Of Medieval Surgery, Leah Devun, Rutgers-New Brunswick
• Healing Verses In The Imperial Minds, Ozgen Felek , Middle East & Middle East American Center, The Graduate Center, CUNY
3:00-4:45 Communities
• Chair: Tuna Artun, Rutgers-New Brunswick
• Medical Practice In The Ottoman Provinces: The View From The Venetian Fondaco, Valentina Pugliano, University Of Cambridge
• Healing The Community: State, Medicine, And Contesting Voices In Early Modern Ottoman Empire, Nükhet Varlik, Rutgers-Newark
• Psychology As A Form Of Healing In The 18Th-Century Ottoman Empire, Yaron Ayalon, Ball State University
5:00-6:00 Exhibition
“Unheard-Of Curiosities”: An Exhibition Of Rare Books On The Occult And Esoteric Sciences, Erika Gorder, Rutgers University Libraries

Upcoming Event: Mapping the Miraculous: A Medieval Hagiography Conference (Cambridge, 2 May 2014)

The Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic is delighted to announce a one-day conference focusing on saintly miracles and their roles in medieval hagiography. Speakers include Robert Bartlett, Dorothy Ann Bray, Thomas Clancy, Catherine Cubitt, Barry Lewis, Rosalind Love and Christine Rauer.

Find the Conference poster here. For more information and the full programme, visit ‘Mapping Miracles‘.

Upcoming Event: Art and Attention: Alabaster and Ivory Sculpture in the Middle Ages

Seminar at the Anatomy Museum, King’s College, London.
24.03.2014, 18.30-20.30.

A Seminar Series and Cross-Period Investigation

Attention is an intense concentration enacted in the body and mind. It is something to be attracted or something we give, generously and with due consideration. In theatre and performance, it is that which unites an audience, who are, with PA Skantze, ‘bound in their attention’ (2003) even as it drifts and returns or might ignite dissent. Our attention can be selective, divided; it occupies space and time; it has breadth and span. We draw attention, and desire it. We, and our productions, are attention-seeking, attention-grabbing. We suffer from an attention deficit.

FAO brings together thinkers from across the fields of theatre and performance studies, literary history, psychotherapy and essay writing to give attention to attention in all its forms. We will ask how attention is cultivated and distributed in criticism and performance. For critics such as Frank Kermode (1985) and Jonathan Crary (1999) and historians like Lorraine Daston (2010) its various conditions powerfully index their historical times: attention determines value and the forms through which we ‘attend’ to works of art and the social world.

Art and Attention: Alabaster and Ivory sculpture in the Middle Ages

This talk will investigate the common ground between two materials widely employed as luxury goods in the later Middle Ages. Focusing on periods of manufacture from the 14th to 16th century, these materials were coveted, fought over, and used for objects which would aid their owners in the most private of devotions, or the most public of spectacles. This talk will address the carving of sculpture, the painting of sculpture and the location, or lack of location for sculpture.

Lloyd de Beer is jointly responsible for the late medieval collections (alongside lead curator Naomi Speakman). His academic background is in English art and literature of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and he is currently working on the museum’s collection of alabaster sculptures, pilgrim badges and seal matrices. He has a particular interest in medieval architecture, and the role it plays in framing the visual reception of objects and ritual. Prior to joining the department Lloyd held a curatorial internship at the Victoria and Albert Museum and a curatorial fellowship at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts. He has recently published on English alabaster sculpture, and has a forthcoming book on the Lacock Cup, co-authored with Naomi Speakman out in 2013.

Naomi Speakman is the curator for Late Medieval Europe at the British Museum. Her current research interests are gothic ivory carving, late medieval metalwork and collecting history. Prior to joining the British Museum Naomi has worked at Bonhams and the V&A, and is currently undertaking a PhD at the Courtauld Institute of Art on the British Museum’s Gothic Ivory collection. She has contributed to the catalogue for the British Museum exhibition, ‘Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics and Devotion in medieval Europe’ and has a forthcoming publication on the Lacock Cup jco-authored authored with Lloyd de Beer.

Hosted by the Performance Research Group. FAO is convened by Georgina Guy, Lecturer in Theatre and Performance Studies, and David Russell, Lecturer in English Literature.