The Middle Ages in 50 Objects
$34.95 (T)
- Authors:
- Elina Gertsman, Case Western Reserve University
- Barbara H. Rosenwein, Loyola University, Chicago
- Date Published: June 2018
- availability: In stock
- format: Hardback
- isbn: 9781107150386
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The extraordinary array of images included in this volume reveals the full and rich history of the Middle Ages. Exploring material objects from the European, Byzantine and Islamic worlds, the book casts a new light on the cultures that formed them, each culture illuminated by its treasures. The objects are divided among four topics: The Holy and the Faithful; The Sinful and the Spectral; Daily Life and Its Fictions, and Death and Its Aftermath. Each section is organized chronologically, and every object is accompanied by a penetrating essay that focuses on its visual and cultural significance within the wider context in which the object was made and used. Spot maps add yet another way to visualize and consider the significance of the objects and the history that they reveal. Lavishly illustrated, this is an appealing and original guide to the cultural history of the Middle Ages.
Read more- Offers a new yet salient way to explore and visualize the Middle Ages
- Organized in a way suitable to either systematic reading or leisurely browsing
- Each object is beautifully illustrated in full color, alongside historically accurate spot maps
Reviews & endorsements
‘A splendid visual feast, this compelling account of the Middle Ages will fascinate and engage students, specialists and general readers alike. This is Medieval History with a difference - of approach, scope, and content - that is as stimulating as it is enjoyable.' Julia M. H. Smith, University of Oxford
See more reviews‘The Middle Ages in 50 Objects will appeal to anyone with a passion for history and delight in things. Evocatively bringing the medieval world alive, it unearths buried weapons, de-codes enigmatic images, and rewards the curious with details of materials and makers, myths and movements. An outstanding resource for instructors and visual learners, this volume satisfies both the intellect and the senses.' Maureen C. Miller, University of California, Berkeley
‘The recent turn to 'materiality' among medievalists has paid off handsomely in this informative and beautifully presented study. The book testifies to the added value of collaboration in scholarship and of the utility of integrating different scholarly approaches to the study of objects. The authors obviously experienced great joy in executing the project, and I experienced the same emotion in reading it.' William Chester Jordan, Princeton University, New Jersey
'The luxury items and ordinary medieval artefacts this volume showcases range across the full chronological and geographical scope of the capacious Middle Ages. They comprise a splendid cabinet of curiosities, a wondrous collection of images and stories, wrapped in rich contextualizations, that allows the reader to assemble a complex, multifaceted image of the Middle Ages.' Asa Simon Mittman, California State University, Chico
'With its focus on carefully selected objects and its attention to material culture, this book is both a masterpiece of methodology and a must-read volume for scholars, students and interested public alike. Using the objects to address broad interdisciplinary questions concerning Islamic, Byzantine and European societies, it brings the Middle Ages back to life in a sophisticated and intelligent way.' Claudia Bolgia, University of Edinburgh
'The Middle Ages in 50 Objects, as its name suggests, places objects front and center in the telling of history. Using select works from the rich collections of the Cleveland Museum of art, the authors present an admirably broad and diverse picture of the medieval era. Written in an engaging, approachable style, and with an authoritative erudition, this work will offer students an excellent introduction to the field.' Christina Maranci, Tufts University, Massachusetts
'An appealing and original guide to the cultural history of the Middle Ages.' Antiques and Auction News
'This handsome publication represents the collaborative effort of two well-regarded medievalists, an art historian (Gertsman, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland) and a scholar known primarily for her studies of the history of the emotions (Rosenwein, Loyola University, Chicago). They selected 50 objects they deemed illustrated salient aspects of the Middle Ages, and each object is the subject of informative yet accessible commentary. The objects appear under four headings: 'The Holy and the Faithful', 'The Sinful and the Spectral', 'Daily Life and Its fictions', 'Death and Its Aftermath'. … Recommended.' W. Cahn, Choice
'… the book is a wonderful introduction to the objects of the museum’s collection, and Gertsman and Rosenwein are to be congratulated for distilling these objects’ complexity and historical context for a broader readership, and for painting a picture of the field that showcases the richness of both its objects and methodologies.' Karl Whittington, Speculum
'These extraordinary objects remind us of the sheer strangeness of this world, and the volume is beautifully illustrated.' Hannah Skoda, BBC History Magazine
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×Product details
- Date Published: June 2018
- format: Hardback
- isbn: 9781107150386
- length: 248 pages
- dimensions: 253 x 197 x 28 mm
- weight: 1.17kg
- contains: 51 colour illus. 32 maps
- availability: In stock
Table of Contents
Part I: The Holy and the Faithful:
1. Jonah Cast Up, c.280–290, marble
2. Altar Front, c.540–600, marble
3. Pilgrim's Flask with Saint Menas, 6th–7th century, terracotta
4. Calyx (Chalice), 900s–1000s, blood jasper (heliotrope) with gilt-copper mounts
5. Christ's Mission to the Apostles, c.970–980, ivory
6. Feline Incense Burner, 1100s, copper alloy, cast and chased
7. Leaf from a Qur'an, 1100s, opaque watercolor, ink, and gold on paper
8. Arm Reliquary of the Apostles, c. 1190, gilt silver, champlevé enamel, oak
9. Virgin and Child, late 13th century
wood (oak) with polychromy and gilding
10. Christ and Saint John the Evangelist, early 14th century, polychromed and gilded oak
11. The Coronation of the Virgin with the Trinity, c.1400, oil on panel
12. Christ Carrying the Cross, 1400s, painted and gilded alabaster
13. Leaf from an Antiphonary: Initial H with the Nativity, c.1480, ink, tempera and gold on vellum
Part II. The Sinful and the Spectral:
14. Adam and Eve, late 400s-early 500s, marble and stone tesserae
15. Curtain Panel with Scenes of Merrymaking, 6th Century, undyed linen and dyed wool
16. Plaque from a Portable Altar Showing the Crucifixion, 1050–1100, walrus ivory
17. Dragon's Head, 1100–1150, walrus ivory
18. Bowl with Engraved Figures of Vices, 1150–1200, bronze
19. Engaged Capital with a Lion and a Basilisk, 1175–1200, marble
20. Leaf from a Cocharelli Treatise on the Vices: Acedia and Her Court, c.1330, ink, tempera, and gold on vellum
21. Miniature from a Mariegola: The Flagellation, 1359–1360, tempera and gold on parchment
22. The Madonna of Humility with the Temptation of Eve, c.1400, tempera and gold on wood panel
23. Grotesques from the Hours of Charles the Noble, c.1404, ink, tempera, and gold on vellum
24. The Virgin Mary Overcoming a Devil, ca.1473, hand-colored woodcut
25. Demon in Chains, c.1453, opaque watercolor and gold on paper
Part III. Daily Life and Its Fictions:
26. S-Shaped Fibula, 500s, silver with garnets
27. Button, 500s, rock crystal, garnet, granulated gold
28. Solidus with Busts of Constans II and Constantine IV (obverse), 659–661, gold
29. Bifolium Excised from a Carolingian Gradual, c.830–860, gold and silver ink on purple parchment
30. Jug, 900s, gold with repoussé and chased and engraved decoration
31. Lion Aquamanile, 1200-1250, copper alloy
32. Luster Wall Tile with a Couple, 1266, fritware with luster-painted design
33. Leaf Excised from Henry of Segusio's 'Summa Aurea': Table of Consanguinity, c. 1280, ink, tempera, and gold on parchment
34. Albarello with Two Hares, 14th century, tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica)
35. Mirror Case with a Couple Playing Chess, 1325–1350, ivory
36. Table Fountain, c.1320–1340, gilt-silver and translucent enamels
37. Barbute, 1350–1420, iron
38. Time, from Chateau de Chaumont Set, 1512–1515, silk and wool
Part IV. Death and Its Aftermath:
39. Columbarium Tomb Plaque with the Monogram of Christ, 500–800, terracotta
40. Single-Edged Knife (Scramasax), 600s, iron, copper, and gold foil
41. Inscribed Tombstone of Shaikh al-Husain ibn Abdallah ibn al-Hasan, 1110, limestone
42. Condemnation and Martyrdom of Saint Lawrence, c.1180, gilded copper, champlevé enamel
43. Leaf from a Psalter: The Crucifixion, c.1300–1330, ink, tempera and gold on vellum
44. Diptych with Scenes from the Life of Christ, c. 1350–1375, ivory
45. Death of the Virgin, c.1400, tempera and oil with gold on panel
46. Mourner from the Tomb of Philip the Bold, 1404–1410, alabaster
47. The Last Judgment: Leaf from a Book of Hours, 1430s, ink, tempera and gold on vellum
48. Initial T from a Choral Book with Isaac and Esau, c.1460–1470, ink, tempera, and gold on parchment
49. A Bridal Couple, c.1470, oil on panel
50. Dance of Death: The Pope, cut c.1526–27, woodcut.
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