Crossroads: Intertwining with Medieval and Renaissance Textiles, 1100-1550
28th Medieval Graduate Colloquium at Courtauld
Held at The Courtauld on May 22, 2023
Papers presented at this symposium:
Textiles, Piety, and Memory in Late Medieval Tuscany, by Samuel Cohn
“Per la gran furia di compratori”: The acquisition of Flemish tapestries in 16th century Italy, the case of Van der Molen & Co. (1538-1544), by Julia van Zandvoort
“Intersecting Geography” of the Trojan War Tapestry – Creating a Tapestry Between Paris and Tournai, Nina Rees
(Re)Weaving the Ritual Path: Silk Fabrics as Markers of Ritual Space in Late Medieval Venice, by Chiara Stombellini
City Odors – The Secondary Scenting of Domestic Textiles in Europe, by Pauline DeVries
A combination of textile and glass.The intertwining of his two arts in Renaissance Venice, by Karina Palou
Tapestries on the Altar: Exploring the Design and Use of the Louvre’s Saint of the Living Water and Sens Three Coronation Tapestries (Jessica Gasson)
Corporal case (13th century), Musée Cluny, surrounding overlapping incarnations and consecrations of textiles, images and gestures, by Julie Grodd
“The Garden of the Incarnation and the Conversion of the Heart: The Mass of St. Gregory” by Amy Clark
Fragment and reconstruction of the altar embroidered on the front, by Mireia Castano Martine
Made of many layers of fabric.The relic treasure of Herkenrode in Hasselt (Belgium) revealed through material technology research, by Geron Renier
The intersection of political and ritual functions of textiles: The sensory experience of textiles in Sumtsek, Alchi, Ladakh, by Jordan Quill.
Abstract: During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, textiles wrapped and coated walls, people, furniture, and objects. They provided ubiquitous and often complex symbolic and visual spatial boundaries. Dipricare, the root of display, lies in development. Much of the framework for how we surround ourselves is rooted in the practice of using cloth. The value of these textiles, both in their materiality and craftsmanship, exceeded that of many other art forms that scholars have privileged. Textiles are often ignored in art historical studies and in the last century were considered visually unappealing or discredited as part of the decorative arts. Moreover, only a few of the functional textiles that existed in these spaces remain, many in a fragmented state.
In recent years, textiles have received increasing attention in art history research, and the importance of textiles has become widely known, with tapestry exhibitions becoming huge hits. However, there are still many new angles that can be explored and discussed about textiles that can enrich, connect and reshape not only the history of textiles, but also broader research interests in medieval and Renaissance studies.
In this symposium, we would like to bring together research from various angles through contact with textiles. The theme of this symposium focuses on how medieval and Renaissance textiles, real and painted, combine, overlap, and intersect in different ways. In other words, we aim to interrogate how textiles are intertwined with other people, art, materials, objects, and functions.
Top image: Textiles of the Trojan War – Cathedral. Zamora; Castilla y Leon, Zamora: Photo: PMRMaeyaert/Wikimedia Commons
