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"Church" and "Synagogue" in Religious Art
Once early Christianity became the dominant religion in Western Europe, the Eastern story of a Jewish messiah in a culture under Roman...
Carolyn Whitson
Feb 2410 min read
43 views
0 comments
Strangers from a Strange Land: "Monstrous Races" in Medieval Religious Art
Triton, ridden by Poseidon, backgammon game piece, walrus ivory, Louvre Museum, Norway or Cologne origin, late 12th c. Mythical...
Carolyn Whitson
Nov 20, 202410 min read
128 views
1 comment
Welcome to the Working Week...Demons and their Jobs in Medieval Art
In my last post, I began the Herculean task of trying to give a general overview of demons in medieval art. I came away from writing...
Carolyn Whitson
Feb 7, 202411 min read
700 views
0 comments
Devil's Gonna Get You!
13th c. capital of a sinner being devoured, Saint Pierre, Chauvigny, France A nasty case of Covid pretty much bankrupted my energy for...
Carolyn Whitson
Feb 3, 20245 min read
405 views
0 comments
The Anti-David: St. Bartholomew by Marco D'Adrate, 1562
A statue has been haunting me. I saw it inside the Duomo of Milan. In retrospect, I think it's the only thing I really saw in the Duomo,...
Carolyn Whitson
Oct 16, 20236 min read
53 views
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Victory for the Vase Painters!
Hydria, 470-460 BCE, from Puglia, Italy. Home museum is the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli. Last May, I had the pleasure of...
Carolyn Whitson
Sep 26, 20234 min read
124 views
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The "Three Living Meet Three Dead" Fresco by Buonamico Buffalmacco, 1336
Some art seems to have a life of its own, its own vitality and presence which can make it seem like a character in its own right. The...
Carolyn Whitson
Sep 5, 20235 min read
540 views
0 comments
What Becomes a Martyr Most? Part 3 of the di Balduccio Monument of Milan
di Balduccio monument for Saint Peter of Verona, 1339 After having examined the larger sculptures at the base of this monument, we arrive...
Carolyn Whitson
Aug 10, 20239 min read
118 views
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di Balduccio Monument--The Christian Virtues
Capturing the back of the sarcophagus of Saint Peter Martyr is much trickier than photographing the front. The apse is quite close by,...
Carolyn Whitson
Jul 18, 20237 min read
120 views
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The di Balduccio Tomb--the Pagan Virtues
As much as I love medieval art that strikes me as bizarre, I really love it when I come across works which are marvels of symbolic...
Carolyn Whitson
Jul 9, 20236 min read
218 views
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Origins of Sirens
On October 25th, 2022, I gave a lecture at Metropolitan State University on the Origins of Sirens. In the presentation, I trace how...
Carolyn Whitson
Nov 6, 20222 min read
67 views
0 comments
Crypt of the Original Sin
Caves evoke mystery to a modern person. We're so used to having all the light we want, wherever and whenever we go. Our interiors are...
Carolyn Whitson
Sep 5, 20217 min read
356 views
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The Lion King, Part 2
The use of lions in medieval religious and political art hews closely to the traditions inherited from around the Mediterranean. Lions...
Carolyn Whitson
Jul 10, 20214 min read
135 views
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The River God(father)
Baptism changed both in its practice and its artistic representation from its introduction in the Gospels to its depictions across...
Carolyn Whitson
Jun 5, 20219 min read
195 views
0 comments
What Lies Beneath, Part 2
For such a small patch of excavated floor, the mosaic pavement in the abbey at Bobbio (under the current basilica) has a number of...
Carolyn Whitson
Apr 22, 20215 min read
127 views
0 comments
What Lies Beneath, Part 1
The lovely town of Bobbio has always been small and out of the way, but in the early 600s, this was exactly what the Irish abbot St....
Carolyn Whitson
Apr 16, 20216 min read
147 views
0 comments
The Good (After) Life: More Roman Sarcophagi
Ancient Roman sarcophagi were for the wealthy, and were created in workshops which concentrated on particular themes: demonstrating the...
Carolyn Whitson
Feb 26, 20214 min read
172 views
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Rome's Metaphoric Others: Barbarians and Amazons
Images of barbarians were created to support a narrative of Roman superiority, and to justify military aggression as a defense of...
Carolyn Whitson
Feb 25, 20216 min read
300 views
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Christianizing Festivals: The Barabbata of Marta
The ancient town, on Lake Bolsena, north of Rome, has Etruscan origins. The festival has roots as a fertility rite, where the town gave...
Carolyn Whitson
Feb 22, 20215 min read
42 views
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Early Christian Churches in Rome, Part 2
Here, I continue to point out some features of church architecture, generally before 1100. Please see Part 1 post for more on this...
Carolyn Whitson
Feb 15, 20218 min read
87 views
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