Borrow it
Coverart for item
The Resource Strange beauty : issues in the making and meaning of reliquaries, 400-circa 1204, Cynthia Hahn

Strange beauty : issues in the making and meaning of reliquaries, 400-circa 1204, Cynthia Hahn

Creator
Summary
  • "A study of reliquaries as a form of representation in medieval art. Explores how reliquaries stage the importance and meaning of relics using a wide range of artistic means from material and ornament to metaphor and symbolism"--Provided by publisher
  • "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." -- Publisher's description
Language
eng
Work
Publication
Extent
xiv, 302 p.
Contents
  • Part I: First things. Introduction ; The reliquary and its maker ; Relics, meaning, and response : early Christian reliquaries, narrative and not
  • Part II: Shaped reliquaries. Spolia and sign, metaphor and simile ; The reliquary cross ; Like and unlike metaphors ; Body-part reliquaries : heads ; Body part reliquaries : other body parts
  • Part III: A gathering of saints : processions and treasuries. Reliquaries in action ; Treasuries ; Relic display ; A case study : Wibald of Stavelot as patron ; The impact of 1204, the "space" of the ark, and conclusion
Isbn
9780271059488
Instance
Label
Strange beauty : issues in the making and meaning of reliquaries, 400-circa 1204
Title
Strange beauty
Title remainder
issues in the making and meaning of reliquaries, 400-circa 1204
Statement of responsibility
Cynthia Hahn
Title variation
Issues in the making and meaning of reliquaries, 400-circa 1204
Creator
Subject
Language
eng
Summary
  • "A study of reliquaries as a form of representation in medieval art. Explores how reliquaries stage the importance and meaning of relics using a wide range of artistic means from material and ornament to metaphor and symbolism"--Provided by publisher
  • "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." -- Publisher's description
Cataloging source
DLC
http://library.link/vocab/creatorName
Hahn, Cynthia J.
Government publication
government publication of a state province territory dependency etc
Illustrations
illustrations
Index
index present
LC call number
NK1652.2
LC item number
.H34 2012
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
bibliography
http://library.link/vocab/subjectName
  • Reliquaries
  • Christian art and symbolism
  • Christian art and symbolism
  • Representation (Philosophy)
  • Christian art and symbolism
  • Christian art and symbolism
  • Reliquaries
  • Representation (Philosophy)
Label
Strange beauty : issues in the making and meaning of reliquaries, 400-circa 1204, Cynthia Hahn
Instantiates
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (p. [271]-291) and index
Contents
Part I: First things. Introduction ; The reliquary and its maker ; Relics, meaning, and response : early Christian reliquaries, narrative and not -- Part II: Shaped reliquaries. Spolia and sign, metaphor and simile ; The reliquary cross ; Like and unlike metaphors ; Body-part reliquaries : heads ; Body part reliquaries : other body parts -- Part III: A gathering of saints : processions and treasuries. Reliquaries in action ; Treasuries ; Relic display ; A case study : Wibald of Stavelot as patron ; The impact of 1204, the "space" of the ark, and conclusion
Control code
748290794
Dimensions
26 cm
Extent
xiv, 302 p.
Isbn
9780271059488
Lccn
2011034400
Other physical details
ill. (some col.)
System control number
(OCoLC)748290794
Label
Strange beauty : issues in the making and meaning of reliquaries, 400-circa 1204, Cynthia Hahn
Publication
Bibliography note
Includes bibliographical references (p. [271]-291) and index
Contents
Part I: First things. Introduction ; The reliquary and its maker ; Relics, meaning, and response : early Christian reliquaries, narrative and not -- Part II: Shaped reliquaries. Spolia and sign, metaphor and simile ; The reliquary cross ; Like and unlike metaphors ; Body-part reliquaries : heads ; Body part reliquaries : other body parts -- Part III: A gathering of saints : processions and treasuries. Reliquaries in action ; Treasuries ; Relic display ; A case study : Wibald of Stavelot as patron ; The impact of 1204, the "space" of the ark, and conclusion
Control code
748290794
Dimensions
26 cm
Extent
xiv, 302 p.
Isbn
9780271059488
Lccn
2011034400
Other physical details
ill. (some col.)
System control number
(OCoLC)748290794

Subject

Library Locations

    • Copley LibraryBorrow it
      5998 Alcalá Park, San Diego, CA, 92110-2492, US
      32.771354 -117.193327

Library Links

Structured data from the Bibframe namespace is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by University of San Diego Libraries. Additional terms may apply to data associated with third party namespaces.
Processing Feedback ...