New Medieval Books: The Other Renaissance
A work that straddles that Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, The Other Renaissance aims to give readers introductions to many important figures and their importance to the modern world.
The Madaba Map: A Further Reexamination
I claim that the Madaba map belonged to a new genre of “Holy Land” iconography that appeared in Palestine in the sixth century, iconography that related to the formation of the Holy Land’s sacred space and the interpretation of its landscape in light of the biblical text.
New Medieval Books: Making a Medieval Stained Glass Window
Using a case study of the Great East Window at the York Minster, this book examines what we can learn about medieval glass windows through scientific research such as chemical analysis and x-ray fluorescence scans.
Balthazar with Bryan Keene
During the Middle Ages, one figure began to consistently symbolize the renowned wealth and wisdom of African kingdoms in European art: Balthazar. This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Bryan Keene about this wise king, his evolution in medieval art, and his continuing impact in modern culture.
Top 10 Most Iconic Images of the Middle Ages
The medieval world produced countless examples of art, some of which have become iconic – for many, these images have come to represent the Middle Ages.
Renaissance Masterpiece given to The Met
A sixteenth-century portrait by Francesco Salviati has been donated to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The oil painting on marble depicts Bindo Altoviti, a Florentine banker.
New Medieval Books: Balthazar: A Black African King in Medieval and Renaissance Art
Based on an exhibition held at the Getty Museum, it looks at medieval depictions of the Black magus and what it tells us about depictions of Black people in the pre-modern era.
How to organize a museum exhibition – and bring the Holy Land home, with Amanda Luyster
A conversation with Amanda Luyster on how to organize a museum exhibition, from conception and design to securing the objects and planning events around it. We also talk about the famous tiles of Chertsey Abbey, a royal commission that evoked the Crusades with artistic allusions to Byzantium and the Islamic world.
Natural Light in Medieval Churches
A new book explores how the study of sunlight inside Christian churches can help reveal essential aspects of the design, decoration, and function of medieval sacred spaces.
Leonardo da Vinci, the Last Supper, and the Art of Throwing a Great Dinner Party
This presentation will explore the evolution of the Last Supper in Italian art, beginning with early Christian images through to the late Renaissance, including one of the world’s most famous works of art: Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper.
Recreating Medieval Paintings with Light at St Albans Cathedral
During the Reformation, countless works of art within churches were destroyed or obscured. At St Albans Cathedral they use light projection to restore four medieval paintings.
The beauty of medieval artwork revealed by restoration
Centuries of dirt and damage have obscured art from the Middle Ages. When the Toledo Museum of Art restored some of their works, they revealed much about how this art originally looked.
15th-century Chinese painting expected to fetch up to $2.6 million at auction
A work by one of the most famous painters of the Ming Dynasty will go up for auction next month. ‘A Tranquil Place’, by Shen Zhou (1427–1509) is expected to sell for between $1.5 and $2.6 million US.
The enduring power of ancient statues in Constantinople, with Paroma Chatterjee
A conversation with Paroma Chatterjee on the power that ancient statues still had in Orthodox Constantinople. In many contexts, they were more prominent than icons. We talk about some of their functions, but also why Byzantine art history is so focused on icons, which were secluded objects, in comparison.
Beautiful newly-acquired medieval artworks at Musée de Cluny
A look at ten medieval works of art that can now be seen at Musée de Cluny.
The secrets of medieval nanotechnology revealed in new study
Medieval artisans made use of a form of nanotechnology to create an ultra-thin metal known as Zwischgold. Now new scans of medieval artifacts have helped to determine how this was done.
What Did Medieval Slavery Look Like? New research reveals how art was not imitating reality
Why were artists in later medieval Iberia consistently depicting enslaved people as having dark skin and coming from sub-Saharan Africa during a time when Black slaves were a small minority in this society?
Thousands of medieval images available for free, thanks to Albertina Museum
A museum in Austria has made available over 150,000 images into the public domain, including many from the Middle Ages. Fans of Albrecht Dürer will be particularly delighted, as more than 2100 of his works are now available.
Two protestors glue their hands to Botticelli’s Primavera
Italian environmental activists staged a protest in Florence’s Uffizi Gallery by glueing their hands to the painting Primavera by Sandro Botticelli on Friday. The painting was not damaged as it was protected by glass.
Medieval artist left hidden image in the Melun Diptych, scholar finds
The Melun Diptych by the French artist Jean Fouquet is one of the most famous artworks from the fifteenth century. Now, new research suggests that the artist created a hidden image, revealed only by combining the two halves.
The Role of Colors in the Middle Ages: Materiality and Theories
This lecture aims to show some of these aspects related to the perception and role played by color in medieval societies with particular reference to the art of the central Middle Ages (twelfth-thirteenth century) and to the medium that perhaps more than any other focused on the visual power of colors: stained glass.
Early Icons of Kyivan Rus’
A look at some of the beautiful icons created in Kyivan Rus.
The Medieval Body exhibition opens in New York
The exhibition, which began on January 21st, will run to March 12th.
St. Francis, Giotto and Geology
St. Francis of Assisi (c.1181-1226) and Giotto (c.1270-1337), would change the history of religion, art and ecology. Some 800 years later, geologists would examine the limestone used to construct the Basilica of St. Francis at Assisi and would discover the secret behind the extinction of the dinosaurs.