Full Description
Reliquaries, one of the central art forms of the Middle Ages, have recently been the object of much interest among historians and artists. Until now, however, they have had no treatment in English that considers their history, origins, and place within religious practice, or, above all, their beauty and aesthetic value. In Strange Beauty, Cynthia Hahn treats issues that cut across the class of medieval reliquaries as a whole. She is particularly concerned with portable reliquaries that often contained tiny relic fragments, which purportedly allowed saints to actively exercise power in the world.
Above all, Hahn argues, reliquaries are a form of representation. They rarely simply depict what they contain; rather, they prepare the viewer for the appropriate reception of their precious contents and establish the "story" of the relics. They are based on forms originating in the Bible, especially the cross and the Ark of the Covenant, but find ways to renew the vision of such forms. They engage the viewer in many ways that are perhaps best described as persuasive or "rhetorical," and Hahn uses literary terminology—sign, metaphor, and simile—to discuss their operation. At the same time, they make use of unexpected shapes—the purse, the arm or foot, or disembodied heads—to create striking effects and emphatically suggest the presence of the saint.
Contents
Contents
List of Illustrations
Preface
Part I: First Things
1 Introduction
2 The Reliquary and Its Maker
3 Relics, Meaning, and Response: Early Christian Reliquaries, Narrative and Not
Part II: Shaped Reliquaries
4 Spolia and Sign, Metaphor and Simile
5 The Reliquary Cross
6 Like and Unlike Metaphors
7 Body-Part Reliquaries: Heads
8 Body Part Reliquaries: Other Body Parts
Part III: A Gathering of Saints: Processions and Treasuries
9 Reliquaries in Action
10 Treasuries
11 Relic Display
12 A Case Study: Wibald of Stavelot as Patron
13 The Impact of 1204, the "Space" of the Ark, and Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index
