The Madonna of Humility

Development, Dissemination and Reception, C.1340-1400
Erscheinungsjahr 2009
ISBN: 978-1-84383-419-9
Verlag: Boydell & Brewer

Buch, Englisch, Band 1, 212 Seiten, Print PDF, Format (B × H): 182 mm x 251 mm, Gewicht: 728 g

Reihe: Bristol Studies in Medieval Cultures

Detailed analysis of an iconographic motif of huge significance in European art.

The image of the `Madonna of Humility', the Virgin and Child seated on the ground, is widespread in European art, yet it remains mysterious. This book provides a detailed and accessible investigation and explication of the theme'smultiple significances, and of other associated images (including the Virgin suckling the Child, the Woman of the Apocalypse and the Virgin Annunciate). It takes issue with the orthodox view of the origins of the image lying in the work of Simone Martini at Avignon, suggesting a longer process of development, with a key role for manuscript illumination in Metz. Subsequent chapters pursue the assimilation, appropriation, and adjustment of the image in a number of regions across Europe, challenging the simplistic idea of unequivocal iconographic meaning determined solely by the context of the image's genesis. The book argues for an essential fluidity and negotiability of meaning inthe visual arts, challenging the very idea of unitary and unequivocal iconographic readings; and its examination of the multi-layered functions of the image in different contexts and different regions provides not just an iconographical case-study, but a cultural history of a devotional resource with Europe-wide implications

Dr BETH WILLIAMSON teaches in the Department of Art History, University of Bristol.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Williamson, Beth

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Kunst Kunststile Christliche Kunst
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Alte Geschichte & Archäologie Frühchristliche, byzantinische Archäologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Kunst Kunstformen, Kunsthandwerk Malerei: Gemälde
• Geisteswissenschaften Kunst Kunstgeschichte Kunstgeschichte: Byzantinisch
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Christentum/Christliche Theologie Allgemein Christliche Kunst und Kultur
• Geisteswissenschaften Kunst Kunstgeschichte Kunstgeschichte: Völkerwanderung und Mittelalter

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction
The Madonna of Humility: Descriptions and Definitions
The Madonna of Humility in Avignon
Early Appearances of the Image
Bohemia
Siena and Florence
Image and Ideal
Using the Madonna of Humility
Responding to the Madonna of Humility
Conclusion
Bibliography

Über Autor(innen)

Williamson, Beth
Beth Williamson is Professor of Medieval Culture at the University of Bristol. She works on the religious culture of western Europe Christianity, with a focus on the forms and functions of religious imagery, and on religious belief and behaviour.