Abstract:The Tomb of Edward II is an imposing monument with a striking tiered, gabled superstruct... more Abstract:The Tomb of Edward II is an imposing monument with a striking tiered, gabled superstructure and an alabaster effigy of the king. The elaborate nature of this memorial is unexpected when one contemplates the difficult course of Edward's reign and, especially, its termination in his deposition and death. Equally surprising is the use of alabaster for his figure, as this material had never previously been used for an effigy and was not at the time a particularly valued stone. This essay considers what might have been the response to this tomb and to the alabaster figure of the king within the context of his grim end. Alabaster had a longstanding lapidary tradition that associated it with preserving the dead, and was mentioned in the Bible in relation to the life of Christ. These associations, when coupled with alabaster's whiteness and luminosity, may have worked to sanctify the former ruler, thus camouflaging the turbulence at the end of his life and legitimating the succession of his son Edward III to the throne.
how Me the Money! ” was conceived as a roundtable and a workshop on grant writing, one focused es... more how Me the Money! ” was conceived as a roundtable and a workshop on grant writing, one focused especially on the best strategies for securing funding for medieval feminist research projects. Our aim was to provide a venue at the annual International Congress on Medieval Studies (at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo) for accomplished scholars to share their experiences and collective wisdom about grant writing and help demystify the process for junior scholars and graduate students. The session had its genesis when Rachel was developing
The writer examines the motif of the distinctive cross-legged pose in England's 13th- and 14t... more The writer examines the motif of the distinctive cross-legged pose in England's 13th- and 14th-century knightly effigies. She applies current theoretical and historical studies of gender construction and chivalric ideologies to the question of this attitude's significance in military effigies. She contends that the overlapping lower limbs speak of a culture in which gender is inseparable from social role, suggesting that in the 13th and 14th centuries social difference was as much at issue as gender anxiety.
In its earliest issues, the Rutgers Art Review (RAR) published interviews with established art hi... more In its earliest issues, the Rutgers Art Review (RAR) published interviews with established art historians alongside essays by graduate students. For Volume 33/34, the editors of RAR have renewed these efforts with the publication of our first interview since moving to a fully online publication model. Embracing the possibilities of this new platform, it seemed appropriate that we interview not just one, but ten art historians who are themselves invested in exploring the internet as a productive platform for scholarly communication, publishing, crowdsourcing, activism, and community building. Together, these scholars form the Core Committee of the Material Collective (MC). We wanted to speak with the Material Collective because they push the boundaries of art history. They engage timely issues of interest not only to RAR's readership and scholars of visual culture, but also to academics from related fields interested in rethinking traditional modes of organizing and communicating within the academy. The following interview took place via email in September and October 2018 between the editors of RAR Volume 33/34
Peregrinations: Journal of Medieval Art and Architecture, 2015
In September 1327 the deposed king Edward II of England died under mysterious circumstances at Be... more In September 1327 the deposed king Edward II of England died under mysterious circumstances at Berkeley Castle; he was buried in St. Peter's Abbey, now Gloucester Cathedral, three months later. His body was eventually housed in an elaborate tomb comprised of a locally sourced Painswick oolitic limestone base and tomb chest with Purbeck marble panels, a multi-tiered limestone and Purbeck canopy, and an alabaster effigy (Figure 1). The installation of this monument sparked the production of a series of royal alabaster effigies and, following these commissions, an increasing number of aristocratic tomb figures. This essay examines that remarkable flowering in order to suggest an explanation of alabaster’s rather sudden popularity as a memorializing material. In doing so, it will consider a network of
Abstract:The Tomb of Edward II is an imposing monument with a striking tiered, gabled superstruct... more Abstract:The Tomb of Edward II is an imposing monument with a striking tiered, gabled superstructure and an alabaster effigy of the king. The elaborate nature of this memorial is unexpected when one contemplates the difficult course of Edward's reign and, especially, its termination in his deposition and death. Equally surprising is the use of alabaster for his figure, as this material had never previously been used for an effigy and was not at the time a particularly valued stone. This essay considers what might have been the response to this tomb and to the alabaster figure of the king within the context of his grim end. Alabaster had a longstanding lapidary tradition that associated it with preserving the dead, and was mentioned in the Bible in relation to the life of Christ. These associations, when coupled with alabaster's whiteness and luminosity, may have worked to sanctify the former ruler, thus camouflaging the turbulence at the end of his life and legitimating the succession of his son Edward III to the throne.
how Me the Money! ” was conceived as a roundtable and a workshop on grant writing, one focused es... more how Me the Money! ” was conceived as a roundtable and a workshop on grant writing, one focused especially on the best strategies for securing funding for medieval feminist research projects. Our aim was to provide a venue at the annual International Congress on Medieval Studies (at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo) for accomplished scholars to share their experiences and collective wisdom about grant writing and help demystify the process for junior scholars and graduate students. The session had its genesis when Rachel was developing
The writer examines the motif of the distinctive cross-legged pose in England's 13th- and 14t... more The writer examines the motif of the distinctive cross-legged pose in England's 13th- and 14th-century knightly effigies. She applies current theoretical and historical studies of gender construction and chivalric ideologies to the question of this attitude's significance in military effigies. She contends that the overlapping lower limbs speak of a culture in which gender is inseparable from social role, suggesting that in the 13th and 14th centuries social difference was as much at issue as gender anxiety.
In its earliest issues, the Rutgers Art Review (RAR) published interviews with established art hi... more In its earliest issues, the Rutgers Art Review (RAR) published interviews with established art historians alongside essays by graduate students. For Volume 33/34, the editors of RAR have renewed these efforts with the publication of our first interview since moving to a fully online publication model. Embracing the possibilities of this new platform, it seemed appropriate that we interview not just one, but ten art historians who are themselves invested in exploring the internet as a productive platform for scholarly communication, publishing, crowdsourcing, activism, and community building. Together, these scholars form the Core Committee of the Material Collective (MC). We wanted to speak with the Material Collective because they push the boundaries of art history. They engage timely issues of interest not only to RAR's readership and scholars of visual culture, but also to academics from related fields interested in rethinking traditional modes of organizing and communicating within the academy. The following interview took place via email in September and October 2018 between the editors of RAR Volume 33/34
Peregrinations: Journal of Medieval Art and Architecture, 2015
In September 1327 the deposed king Edward II of England died under mysterious circumstances at Be... more In September 1327 the deposed king Edward II of England died under mysterious circumstances at Berkeley Castle; he was buried in St. Peter's Abbey, now Gloucester Cathedral, three months later. His body was eventually housed in an elaborate tomb comprised of a locally sourced Painswick oolitic limestone base and tomb chest with Purbeck marble panels, a multi-tiered limestone and Purbeck canopy, and an alabaster effigy (Figure 1). The installation of this monument sparked the production of a series of royal alabaster effigies and, following these commissions, an increasing number of aristocratic tomb figures. This essay examines that remarkable flowering in order to suggest an explanation of alabaster’s rather sudden popularity as a memorializing material. In doing so, it will consider a network of
The Tomb of Edward II is an imposing monument with a striking tiered, gabled superstructure and a... more The Tomb of Edward II is an imposing monument with a striking tiered, gabled superstructure and an alabaster effigy of the king. The elaborate nature of this memorial is unexpected when one contemplates the difficult course of Edward’s reign and, especially, its termination in his deposition and death. Equally surprising is the use of alabaster for his figure, as this material had never previously been used for an effigy and was not at the time a particularly valued stone. This essay considers what might have been the response to this tomb and to the alabaster figure of the king within the context of his grim end. Alabaster had a longstanding lapidary tradition that associated it with preserving the dead, and was mentioned in the Bible in relation to the life of Christ. These associations, when coupled with alabaster’s whiteness and luminosity, may have worked to sanctify the former ruler, thus camouflaging the turbulence at the end of his life and legitimating the succession of his son Edward III to the throne.
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