Death, disease, and mystical experience in early modern art /
"Fear of death and disease preoccupied the European consciousness throughout the early modern era, becoming most acute at times of plaque and epidemics. In these times of heightened anxieties, images of saints and protectors served to reassure the faithful of their religious protection against...
| Other Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Amsterdam :
Amsterdam University Press,
[2025]
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| Series: | Visual and material culture, 1300-1700 ;
62. |
| Subjects: |
| Summary: | "Fear of death and disease preoccupied the European consciousness throughout the early modern era, becoming most acute at times of plaque and epidemics. In these times of heightened anxieties, images of saints and protectors served to reassure the faithful of their religious protection against infections. Modes of visual engagement and devotional subject matter were coupled in new ways to reinforce the emotive impact of art works and to reaffirm the perceived reality of the afterlife. In this context, a visual language of mystical devotion, which overcame the limits of the body and even eroticized its suffering, could serve the needs of the desolate and the pained. In this series of essays focused on spiritual sensibilities in Renaissance art and its legacies, the authors present original ideas about the themes of death, disease, and mystical experience, based primarily on the study of objects and their documented historical contexts. Methodologically wide-ranging in approach, the resulting volume provides novel insights into the interplay between suffering and art making in the Western world"--Page 4 of cover. |
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| Physical Description: | 436 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 25 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9789463729185 9463729186 |