medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
"Sorry examples" abound where the use of the object, especially by
people below the top of the social ladder, did not require high style.
This sort of item will probably never appear in a survey of the fine
arts, but it can still provide valuable historical evidence. Bone
objects often fall into this category, since the material was used for
many of the same kinds of things as the much more expensive ivory. For
examples, see my 'Medium>bone/antler' page:
http://www.kornbluthphoto.HistoricalBone.html
A Roman doll might be highly naturalistic, but it could also
tremendously elongated and still function well. Different forms of dice
can nuance our views of gaming, gambling, and divination. And a toy
guillotine complete with severed head is a nice comment on the social
context of the Terror, even with its stick-like figures. My own
scholarly focus has been on engraved gems, among the highest-status and
most beautifully crafted objects of the medieval era. But I will
continue to argue for the historical value of the modest objects often
simply termed "material culture".
Best,
Genevra
home page: http://www.KornbluthPhoto.com
archive indices: http://www.KornbluthPhoto.com/archive-1.html
On 11/30/2011 1:41 PM, HenkADSL wrote:
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
> I know a guy who could make these pewter badges in soapstone in an
> afternoon. But his casket would look much better than this sorry example.
>
> Henk
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