ARTH 219 - Special Topics in Art History

Spring 16 Topic: Icons, Relics, and Madonnas

Images of the Virgin Mary had the power to spark intense devotion, to inspire pilgrimages to remote locations, and even to instigate moments of iconoclasm. This course will examine the wide range of images of the Madonna produced in Europe during the medieval and Renaissance periods. We will begin with the Byzantine icons of the Virgin, sacred objects that gave worshippers a direct channel to the divine. Next, we will examine the cult of relics in medieval Europe, with a particular focus on the Virgin Mary’s relics, which preserved precious traces of her presence on earth as an intercessor. The seminar engages with a variety of Marian imagery, all of which worked to harness the Virgin’s miracle-working powers, including stained glass windows, cult statues, black Madonnas, and shrine Madonnas. The course concludes with a comparative look at some later miracle-working Madonnas, including Italian Renaissance Virgins known for flying through the air, speaking, or weeping, and modern examples such as the Virgin of Guadeloupe and Notre-Dame of Lourdes, which continue to inspire pilgrimages. We will take several field trips to area museums to allow first-hand study of works of art.

Program of Liberal Studies (PLS) Designation: HP

Anticipated Terms Offered: Offered every other year