#medieval-art

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History
fromOpen Culture
2 days ago

How Everything in a Medieval Castle Worked, from Its Moats to Its Dungeons

Medieval castles were complex structures designed for defense, featuring elements like barbicans, moats, and parapets.
Arts
fromArtnet News
14 hours ago

Were the Popes Art History's Ultimate Collectors? | Artnet News

Pope Urban VIII's patronage of Gian Lorenzo Bernini significantly shaped Baroque art and architecture in Rome during the 17th century.
Philosophy
fromApaonline
1 day ago

Using the Absurd: How Erasmus Challenges His Students

Erasmus utilized humor, particularly absurdity, as a motivational tool in teaching Latin, enhancing engagement and challenging students.
France news
fromwww.npr.org
4 days ago

Thieves steal paintings by Renoir, Cezanne and Matisse from a private museum in Italy

Thieves stole three valuable paintings from a museum near Parma, Italy, in a swift heist lasting less than three minutes.
#raphael
fromArtnet News
1 day ago
Arts

How Raphael Made-and Unmade-the Renaissance | Artnet News

Raphael's exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum showcases 237 works, including paintings and drawings, marking a significant event in art history.
fromArtnet News
4 days ago
Arts

Raphael and the Cult of Beauty as a World-Historical Force | Artnet News

Raphael's influence in art history is significant, showcasing both beauty and academic challenges, yet modern audiences engage with his work passively.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 days ago

Judas in the Middle Ages: The Making of an Anti-Hero - Medievalists.net

Judas Iscariot symbolizes despair and damnation in medieval thought, evolving from a biblical figure to a powerful moral myth.
fromMedievalists.net
2 days ago

Medieval Gold Discovery Goes on Display in Newcastle - Medievalists.net

We are delighted to unite these incredible archaeological finds from across the North for our latest exhibition. From Roman silver discovered along Hadrian's Wall to 9th-century gold found by a Newcastle University student, this is a rare opportunity to see these scattered treasures displayed alongside one another.
History
History
fromMedievalists.net
4 days ago

New Medieval Books: Light on Darkness - Medievalists.net

Liturgy is central to Western cultural history, rich in artistic expression and emotional depth, influencing society for over a thousand years.
History
fromMedievalists.net
3 days ago

How Church Leaders Helped Defend Medieval Germany - Medievalists.net

Church leaders in Ottonian Germany were responsible for organizing defenses and mobilizing communities to protect the kingdom.
Higher education
fromHarvard Gazette
3 weeks ago

Like seeing art of Roman chapels in technicolor for first time - Harvard Gazette

Students learned centuries-old stucco sculpting techniques through hands-on practice, gaining deeper understanding of Renaissance and Baroque artists' material choices and creative processes.
fromThe Conversation
3 weeks ago

Notions of 'Christendom' often miss the mark - medieval Europe's ideas about faith and power were not so simple

Some citizens might see themselves as Christian nationalists simply because they are Christian and patriotic. Others, however, assert that the United States is rightfully a Christian nation that ought to be governed by Christian leaders, ethics and laws. As a historian, I'm aware that Christian nationalism relies upon a selective and often distorted view of American history.
Philosophy
History
fromwww.npr.org
4 days ago

A skeleton discovered in a Dutch church may belong to musketeer d'Artagnan

The remains of d'Artagnan may have been discovered in a church in the Netherlands near his battlefield death site.
History
fromBig Think
1 week ago

Militarized snowflakes: The accidental beauty of Renaissance star forts

Star forts exemplify the intersection of military engineering and geometry, showcasing beauty born from the necessity of defense against artillery.
fromMedievalists.net
1 week ago

How Many Workers Built a Medieval Cathedral? - Medievalists.net

The financial accounts kept by the fabrique for Girona Cathedral provide exceptionally detailed records, allowing historians to calculate the total number of workers and the average employed per year.
History
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 week ago

Medieval Goths and Goth Music: The Surprising Connection - Medievalists.net

The Goths influenced modern goth music, linking a historical Germanic tribe to contemporary cultural styles.
Science
fromOpen Culture
1 month ago

How Medieval Cathedrals Were Built Without Science, or Even Mathematics

Medieval cathedral builders engineered complex structures like Sainte-Chapelle without mathematics or formal science, using practical techniques and empirical methods instead.
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 week ago

Scientists Confirm Remains of Medieval Emperor Otto the Great - Medievalists.net

Emperor Otto the Great's identity has been confirmed through scientific research, including DNA analysis, after centuries of uncertainty.
LA real estate
fromLos Angeles Times
22 years ago

The height of Old World style

A $15.9 million double-penthouse condo combining two penthouses on the highest floors of a Wilshire Boulevard high-rise features luxury amenities and 19th-century design elements.
fromMedievalists.net
6 days ago

New Medieval Books: Basics of Bloomery Iron Smelting - Medievalists.net

This manuscript is intended to fill the gap between 'the doer and the thinker', and so should be expected to be an overview, especially as applies to the fine details of current archaeology.
History
#michelangelo
#charlemagne
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 weeks ago

Medieval Chess Reveals a More Diverse Middle Ages, Study Finds - Medievalists.net

Medieval chess functioned as a rare intellectual arena where people from different cultures and races engaged as equals, challenging assumptions about rigid medieval social hierarchies.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 weeks ago

Early Medieval Mosaic with Playful Inscription Discovered in Turkey - Medievalists.net

A 5th-6th century mosaic discovered in southern Turkey features Greek inscriptions welcoming visitors while humorously warning against jealousy, revealing personal attitudes of late Roman-Byzantine residents.
Miscellaneous
fromArchitectural Digest
9 years ago

The 11 Most Beautiful Gothic Cathedrals Around the World

Gothic cathedrals, built 12th–16th centuries, prioritize height and light using pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses to create taller, stronger stone structures.
fromMedievalists.net
2 weeks ago

Political Borders Shaped the Spread of Medieval Chant, Study Finds - Medievalists.net

Tropes were additions inserted into established Gregorian chants. They could include new words, new melodies, or a combination of both, expanding the original liturgical piece and sometimes offering additional theological or rhetorical commentary. In many cases, tropes circulated long before they were recorded in writing. Their melodies and texts were transmitted orally for centuries before being preserved in medieval manuscripts, creating a complex web of regional variants across Europe.
History
fromMedievalists.net
3 weeks ago

New Medieval Books: Approaching Records of the Household and Wardrobe - Medievalists.net

The Household and Wardrobe Accounts are English records that document the daily needs of the king and his family. This book serves as a guide to these sources, showing how they can be used and what valuable insights they offer into medieval government.
History
fromwww.thehistoryblog.com
3 weeks ago

Mosaics from early Christian churches found in Albania

Berat is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its unique historic downtown characterized by 18th and 19th century Ottoman structures and urban design, but human presence in the area goes back to the 4th/3rd millennium B.C. and there is evidence of an urban settlement in Berat defined by defensive walls dating to the 7th-6th century B.C.
History
History
fromianVisits
3 weeks ago

Looted from a royal palace: The medieval jug now on display in London

A medieval English bronze jug looted from Ghana's Asante kingdom reveals how European luxury goods became valued ceremonial objects through trans-continental trade networks before colonial appropriation.
fromwww.independent.co.uk
2 months ago

Something will go wrong': Why readers say the Bayeux Tapestry should stay in France

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
US politics
Arts
fromdesignyoutrust.com
1 month ago

Amazing Baroqueinspired Sorcerers, Gothic Arches And Ornate Backdrops in Paintings by J. Henry

A wide-ranging collection of contemporary visual art and human-interest projects showcases diverse techniques, social themes and playful reinterpretations across painting, illustration, sculpture, photography, public acts.
#medieval-history
History
fromMedievalists.net
3 weeks ago

New Medieval Books: Silence of the Gods - Medievalists.net

Europe's last pagan peoples underwent Christian conversion from the 14th to 20th centuries while maintaining their indigenous religious traditions despite political pressure to adopt Christianity.
History
fromMedievalists.net
3 weeks ago

10 Ways Video Games Have Rewritten the Middle Ages - Medievalists.net

Video games have become a primary way modern audiences encounter the Middle Ages, creating a distinctive form of medievalism shaped by gameplay mechanics that emphasizes warfare and reshapes historical reality.
#medieval-manuscripts
History
fromMedievalists.net
4 weeks ago

Giotto and Saint Francis Featured in Major Medieval Art Exhibition in Italy - Medievalists.net

Italy's 2026 exhibition celebrates Saint Francis's 800th death anniversary by showcasing Giotto's revolutionary artistic innovations and their impact on medieval sacred art across Umbria.
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

New Medieval Books: Castles and Strongholds of Northumberland - Medievalists.net

Northumberland contains more castles, towers, peles, bastles and barmkins than any other British county, serving as private residences and fortifications for nobility and landowners.
fromOpen Culture
1 month ago

Cats in Medieval Manuscripts & Paintings

Renais­sance artist Albrecht Dür­er (1471-1528) nev­er saw a rhi­no him­self, but by rely­ing on eye­wit­ness descrip­tions of the one King Manuel I of Por­tu­gal intend­ed as a gift to the Pope, he man­aged to ren­der a fair­ly real­is­tic one, all things con­sid­ered.
Arts
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

Dreaming of Owning a Medieval Artefact? Here's Your Chance - Medievalists.net

TimeLine Auctions' March 3 online sale features hundreds of medieval historical objects including a 13th-century Limoges cross, 1224 Chinese armor, Viking silver mount, and Anglo-Saxon brooch.
Arts
fromHyperallergic
2 months ago

A Millennia-Long Fascination With Armor

The Worcester Art Museum's reopened armor galleries present global armor traditions, challenging medieval European romanticism and showcasing one of the nation's largest arms-and-armor collections.
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

New Medieval Books: The Taifa Kingdoms - Medievalists.net

The eleventh-century collapse of the Umayyad caliphate fragmented al-Andalus into rival taifa kingdoms, initiating the centuries-long process that ended Islamic rule in Iberia by 1492.
fromArtnet News
1 month ago

The Surprisingly Graphic Side of Medieval Christian Art | Artnet News

"Medieval viewers understood Christ's body as both male and female," said Melanie Holcomb and Nancy Thebaut, the curators behind " Spectrum of Desire: Love, Sex, and Gender in the Middle Ages," a delightfully corporeal medieval art exhibition now on view at the Met Cloisters in New York. "In addition to being the son of God, he was also frequently described as a mother, and his wound was often likened to a lactating breast that could be a source of spiritual nourishment for others."
Arts
fromHyperallergic
1 month ago

All About Love From a Black Medieval Angel

Looking to the Middle Ages for answers to the perennial puzzles of life can seem quaint, even artificial, a long reach across centuries marked by violence, hierarchy, and exclusion. And yet medieval culture offers a way of thinking about love that still speaks to the present. If love is most urgently tested in moments of strain and upheaval, then it is in those moments - where care is stressed or obscured - that its meaning comes most clearly into view.
Arts
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

Discovery links Medieval Mosque to Roman Temple - Medievalists.net

A newly discovered Greek inscription at the Great Mosque of Homs suggests the medieval mosque may stand on the remains of a Roman-era Temple of the Sun, resolving a long-standing scholarly debate about the site's sacred history.
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

New Medieval Books: The Conqueror's Gift - Medievalists.net

Imperial Roman ethnography was a gift the Romans made for themselves, because it embraced concepts with which they could address the great cultural diversity of their world. It was a gift that came from the conquerors, reflecting their supposition of preeminence. At the same time, Roman ethnography was a somewhat less welcome present for the many peoples who found themselves trapped in Rome's vision, needing to find a place within it that made sense to Roman demands.
History
fromwww.thehistoryblog.com
1 month ago

Medieval painted panels found beneath Toledo house

A group of polychrome wood panels discovered under the floorboards of a house in Toledo in 2018 are going on display at the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid. They were found during construction of a hotel planned to go up over several buildings in the Bajada del Pozo Amargo street next to Toldeo's Cathedral. They had been stripped from their original location on the upper part of the walls of a quadrangular hall and reused as raw carpentry material in the house's subfloor.
History
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

When were the Middle Ages? - Medievalists.net

The Middle Ages lack a single, natural start or end; appropriate boundaries depend on whether political, religious, economic, or cultural changes are prioritized.
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

New Medieval Books: Interconnected Traditions - Medievalists.net

This open-access book brings together more than thirty essays on languages and the ways they develop, interact, and influence one another. Its main focus is the Middle East, where Hebrew, Arabic, and Aramaic long existed side by side and often overlapped in everyday use, scholarship, and culture. In line with Geoffrey (Khan)'s commitment to the maximally accessible dissemination of research, this Festschrift has been published in both open-access digital editions and affordable printed formats.
History
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

New Medieval Books: Celtic Magic - Medievalists.net

Ancient and medieval Celtic-speaking peoples maintained distinctive magical beliefs and practices whose evidence appears in inscriptions, classical accounts, medieval manuscripts, charms, and medical recipes.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Medieval Self-Portraits: Ten Artists Who Put Themselves in the Picture - Medievalists.net

Medieval self-portraits functioned as devotional, personal, and social statements revealing how individuals in the Middle Ages wanted to be seen.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

New Online Course: Medieval Europe 870 - 1300 - Medievalists.net

10-week course starting January 15 offers a panoramic overview of European history (9th–13th centuries), covering politics, economics, gender, technology, warfare, society, and external relations.
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

New Medieval Books: A Crusade Against the Turks as a Means of Reforming the Church - Medievalists.net

This project will focus on the Camaldolese hermits' proposal for achieving what they considered to be the most crucial task in the repair of the church, eliminating Islam and all Muslims. Our study will begin with an examination of the recipient of the Libellus, Giovanni de' Medici, who would become Pope Leo X. Next will be an exploration into the backgrounds of Paolo Giustiniani and Pietro Querini,
History
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Military Education in Early Medieval Europe: Learning from Books - Medievalists.net

Early medieval military leaders learned warfare from books—Roman manuals, handbooks, and case studies—informing campaigns, sieges, and logistical planning.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

New Medieval Books: The Horse in History - Medievalists.net

Eleven studies examine horse equipment, training, folklore, and material culture across time and Europe, emphasizing archaeological evidence and diverse methodological approaches.
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

25 Tips from the Middle Ages - Medievalists.net

Medieval practical literature provided specific everyday guidance on posture, hygiene, conversation, remedies, and social behavior, blending useful tips with odd, superstition-based methods.
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Rules of a Medieval Library - Medievalists.net

When universities began to emerge in Europe during the eleventh and twelfth centuries, they soon became important centres of knowledge. Their libraries could hold hundreds of books, and many of the most valuable volumes were kept under close control - sometimes even chained to desks. We have few details about how medieval university libraries operated, but a revealing set of rubric headings survives from the University of Angers in western France.
History
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

New Medieval Books: Ipomedon - Medievalists.net

A twelfth-century Anglo-French romance about Ipomedon, an incognito prince tested by adventures, tournaments, and ironic narration exploring chivalry, humour, and social values.
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

Previously Unknown Medieval Chronicle Discovered - Medievalists.net

A previously unknown 8th-century Maronite chronicle (dated 712–13 CE) offers early Christian perspective on Arab-Islamic expansion and Late Antique religious-political change.
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

New Medieval Books: The Forsaken 14th Century - Medievalists.net

In this volume, the authors aim to provide a truly global overview of the 14 century, with each region given approximately the same space. It is obviously impossible to cover every event in every country of the world in a single volume, just as you would not be able to visit every city in every country if you traveled around the world for a year.
History
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Reading in Byzantium: Literacy, Books, and a World of Texts - Medievalists.net

Byzantine reading was communal and performative, woven into religious, educational, and administrative life while preserving classical learning within a Christian intellectual framework.
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

10 Medieval Studies' Articles Published Last Month - Medievalists.net

In this paper we investigate whether infant and childhood feeding practices influenced the imbalanced adult sex ratio reported in medieval Europe from historical and osteological evidence. First, we examine hypotheses for the observed imbalanced sex ratios in Europe and the evidence presented to support these hypotheses. We then use stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ15N) of incremental dentine in 64 first molars from adults at three medieval sites (Aulla, Badia Pozzeveri, and Montescudaio) in north-western Tuscany (11th-15th c. CE).
History
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

New Online Course: Urban Europe: Towns and Cities in the Middle Ages - Medievalists.net

A four-week course examines the rise and management of medieval European cities, everyday town life, occupations, and religious and cultural influences.
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Talking Templars: Assassins versus Templars - Medievalists.net

The Assassins and the Knights Templar have become two of the most iconic groups of fighters from the period of the Crusades. In recent times, they have been popularised through the video game and movie franchise, Assassin's Creed. But who were they really and how did they interact in the Holy Land? It's an intriguing story that Dr Steve Tibble and Tony McMahon investigate in the first episode of their new podcast series, Talking Templars.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

New Medieval Books: Chasing the Pearl-Manuscript - Medievalists.net

This is a book about a book: the small, cropped, somewhat ragged but brightly illustrated volume now known formally, and rather forbiddingly, as British Library MS Cotton Nero A.x/2. The fame and beauty of its four Middle English poems have given it sobriquets beyond the shelfmark, however, which are more familiar and intimate: it is also the Gawain-Manuscript or, as I will call it, the Pearl-Manuscript.
History
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Crusader Frontiers: Mapping the Medieval Holy Land - Medievalists.net

Medieval Crusader frontiers functioned as dynamic networks of castles, passes, ports, and strongpoints that require detailed geospatial mapping to accurately represent shifting landscapes.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Medieval Maps of Britain - Medievalists.net

Medieval cartography depicted Britain variably, evolving from vague island outlines to clearer, labeled representations showing towns, provinces, and classical influences.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

10 Medieval Studies' Articles Published Last Month - Medievalists.net

Local populations in Anatolia used spolia to assert cultural continuity with the ancient and Byzantine past, challenging exclusive Western claims to that heritage.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Early Medieval Church in Rome Draws Attention After Fresco Restoration - Medievalists.net

San Lorenzo in Lucina, a medieval church, drew renewed attention after conservation of a modern fresco whose figure was likened to Italy's PM Giorgia Meloni.
History
fromwww.thehistoryblog.com
1 month ago

17th c. panel returned to church 30 years after it was stolen

A stolen 17th-century memorial panel from a Hertfordshire church was recovered and returned after 30 years through a keen Australian heraldry enthusiast.
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

New Medieval Books: Blessed Mary and the Monks of England - Medievalists.net

English Benedictine and Cistercian monks (1000–1215) shaped medieval Mariology by deepening Marian devotion, theological reflection, and using Mary as a model for Christian life.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Richard the Lionheart: New Study Rethinks His Capture After the Crusade - Medievalists.net

Richard I's capture becomes clearer when examined through regional political incentives and rival rulers' interests rather than legend and fate.
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Online Course: The Normans in Europe - Medievalists.net

We get started by exploring the origins of the Normans in the county and then duchy of Normandy. We will understand their Norse background and their relationship with the Carolingians. The timeline approach will help us discover all the counts and dukes of Normandy, and what they contributed to their realm. This will set the foundation for the interconnected stories that will lead us to England and the Mediterranean.
History
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

New Medieval Books: Impossible Recovery - Medievalists.net

Julian of Norwich's illness and visions show how sickness and revelation intertwine, shaping personal recovery and the subsequent expression and theorization of experience.
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Online Course: Medieval Education: From Schools to Universities - Medievalists.net

Explore the history of education in the Middle Ages through the development of schools, curriculums, the growth of universities, and the diverse individuals who were involved in teaching and learning during this 1000 years of history. Class begins on Saturday, January 24th. This six-week course includes live 90-minute sessions with Ryder Patzuk-Russell each week from 12:00 to 1:30 pm EST.
History
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Victory in Death: The Templars at Cresson - Medievalists.net

Templar zeal led to reckless charges against vastly superior forces, turning battlefield defeats into celebrated martyrdom and precluding negotiated truces.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

The Failed Hit at Mont Gisard: The Templars against Saladin - Medievalists.net

At Mont Gisard in 1177 the Templars' desperate charge nearly reached Saladin, failed to kill him, and influenced subsequent campaigns in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

New Medieval Books: A Demon Spirit - Medievalists.net

Abū Nuwās's poetry is sheer joy: it never fails to delight, surprise, and excite. His diwan, his collected poems, encompasses the principal early Abbasid poetic genres: panegyrics ( madīḥ), renunciant poems ( zuhdiyyāt), lampoons ( hijāʾ), hunting poems ( ṭardiyyāt), wine poems ( khamriyyāt), love poems ( ghazaliyyāt) to males ( mudhakkarāt) and females ( muʾannathāt), and transgressive verse ( mujūn).
History
History
fromwww.medievalists.net
2 months ago

Hattin and the Templars' Last Stand

The Templars' desperate rear-guard charge at the Horns of Hattin in July 1187 failed disastrously, marking a pivotal collapse of the Crusader army.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Early Medieval Glass Study Rewrites Venice's Origins as a Glassmaking Hub - Medievalists.net

Early medieval Venice engaged in long-distance glass supply and sophisticated glassmaking techniques from the 6th–9th centuries, predating Renaissance glass prominence.
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